Abdorrahman Boroumand Center

for Human Rights in Iran

https://www.iranrights.org
Omid, a memorial in defense of human rights in Iran
One Person’s Story

Abdollah Qavimi

About

Age: 46
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Islam (Shi'a)
Civil Status: Married

Case

Date of Killing: November 17, 2019
Location of Killing: Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Arbitrary shooting
Charges: Unknown charge
Age at time of alleged offense: 46

About this Case

Mr. Qavimi was the father of two children and had great spirits. He loved nature and enjoyed mountain climbing, videography, and photography.

Information regarding the death of Mr. Abdollah Qavimi Qalati, son of Behruz, was obtained through an interview conducted by the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center with a person who knew him on November 29, 2019 (ABC interview). News of Mr. Qavimi’s killing was also published in an Amnesty International  report  (May 20, 2020) and on the Human Rights Activists in Iran News Agency’s website (HRANA). Additional information was obtained from Iran Wire reports (November 21, and December 26, 2019), Dadkhahi (“Seeking Justice”) Campaign YouTube Channel (June 5, 2020), IRNA News Agency (November 21, 2020), and Quds Online website (November 22, 2020).

Mr. Qavimi was born on March 25, 1973, in the city of Shiraz, and resided in the village of Qalat, 35 kilometers to the northwest of Shiraz. He had grown up in a six-member family, was married and had two children, 16 and 4 years old. Mr. Qavimi was self-employed and worked in a real estate agency. He was a responsible and sociable individual who loved his family and had great spirits. He loved nature and enjoyed mountain climbing, videography, and photography. (ABC interview, Dadkhahi Campaign YouTube Channel).

Background

Right before midnight on November 14, 2019, the Iranian government announced a sharp increase in the price of gasoline (a 50% increase for rationed gasoline, and a 200% increase for regular gasoline). Following the government’s announcement, nationwide protests began on November 15. According to available reports and videos, the protesters gathered peacefully in public places on November 15 and 16, and caused very heavy traffic by blocking a number of streets. The protesters also chanted anti-governments slogans. Protesters across the country were asking their compatriots to turn their cars off and chant anti-regime slogans (1). According to reports, by the end of the day on November 16, banks had been set on fire in certain regions. Gunshots can be heard in some videos. That same night, the government blocked internet access in the entire country for at least ten days. Lack of access to information severely diminished the protesters ability to organize protests and report on the regime’s brutal and ruthless clampdown of the demonstrators (2).

The reaction of the Iranian authorities was swift, disproportionate, extreme, and deadly. From the very early days of the protests, that is, by November 16, the leaders of the Islamic Republic started to put the blame on the people in their public statements, and demonstrated that they would not tolerate any dissent or expression of discontent. The protesters were accused of being “hoodlums” and “in contact with forces outside the country”, and were warned that they would suffer grave punishment if they damaged public property. News of the first casualty was reported on November 15. On the second day of the protests, the number of the dead increased as police and security forces continued to open fire on the populace in several cities. In video footage received from Iran, police and security forces can be seen firing their weapons into the demonstrators in circumstances where it does not appear that their lives are in danger. Plainclothes forces can also be seen beating people with clubs and arresting them. In certain cases, demonstrators blocked roads or gathered in front of police precincts or other government buildings, or pushed police and security forces back by throwing rocks. In several provinces, banks and other public buildings were set ablaze, seemingly by angry protesters, and the police can be seen damaging public property in some videos. The protests, which had spread to dozens of towns (120), roads, and locations outside urban areas, were quashed within a few days.

The exact number of casualties is not clear at the time of this writing. In most cases, government agents took the dead and wounded protesters away. In an effort to hide the truth, these officials obtained written pledges from the victims’ families that they would remain silent in return for the bodies of their loved ones, and even forced some of them to bury their dead at night under the veil of darkness, and under the control and watchful eye of security agents. Others were asked for various sums of money. In its latest report published on May 20, 2020, Amnesty International announced the number of dead to have been at least 304 (3). A large number of the demonstrators had been shot in the head and chest. Hundreds of others were wounded, and the fate of many is unknown. The Iranian government confirmed the death of 6 members of the police and security forces. On May 31, 2020, the Interior Minister declared the number of people killed in the November protests to have been between 200 and 225, 20 percent of whom were shot by non-governmental bullets (4). On June 1, 2020, the Head of Majless’ (“Parliament”) National Security Commission declared the number of people killed in the protests against the increase in the price of gas to have been 230, including members of the police and security forces (5). According to a Majless Representative, at least 7000 people were arrested during and after the protests. Lack of transparency regarding the arrests, official reports of the “confessions” of those arrested following the protests where they acknowledged their responsibility and guilt, in addition to reports of the overcrowding of prisons and detention centers way beyond their capacity, caused very serious concerns about the safety and the security of the detainees.

Protests in the town of Sadra began in the morning of November 16, 2019, with people turning their cars off in one of the town’s main squares, and continued into the afternoon with occasional skirmishes with law enforcement forces. From about 3 PM, the protesters gathered in front of the Bassij Resistance (armed militias funded by the Iranian government) building. After a number of them were shot and killed by security and police forces, the protesters fought back setting fire to the town’s Friday Prayer Imam’s office and to several other government offices and banks. Certain eyewitnesses believe, however, that the burning of buildings was instigated by known members of the town’s Bassij who were present among protesters [seemingly taking part in the protests]. The protests continued the nest day with occasional shots being fired at the protesters. According to an Amnesty International report, at least 12 people, including two children, were killed during the protests in the town of Sadra (Amnesty International report).

Mr. Qavimi’s Death 

According to available information, on November 16, 2019, Mr. Abdollah Qavimi Qalati was shot in the chest or the face by a [military grade] bullet, in the town of Sadra, located to the north of the city of Shiraz. The date of Mr. Qavimi’s death has been registered as November 17, 2019.

Mr. Qavimi and his brother had gone to the town of Sadra in the afternoon of November 16, 2019, to pick up their children from school and to take them back home. At that same time, the protest gathering in front of the Bassij Resistance building met with violence from security and police forces when a number of protesters entered the building. According to official and unofficial sources, a helicopter had been dispatched to the region in order to protect and support the Bassij [building], and according to eyewitnesses, to supply the Bassij with ammunition. The purposeful shooting of the protesters in the head, face, and chest from atop the Bassij building had started after the arrival of the helicopter. A number of citizens were killed and several others were injured as a result of the shootings. Their route having been blocked, Mr. Qavimi and his brother had gotten out of their car when they were shot. Mr. Qavimi’s brother was hospitalized for several months after the events. (ABC interview, Dadkhahi Campaign YouTube Channel, IRNA, Quds Online).

At around 2 o’clock in the morning of November 17, 2019, Mr. Qavimi’s body was taken to the village of Qalat where he resided, but security forces did not turn the body over to his family. Approximately 7 days later, Mr. Qavimi’s family was allowed to bury him in the village of Qalat. Security forces warned them against holding mass gatherings and against talking about Mr. Qavimi’s cause of death. (ABC interview, Dadkhahi Campaign YouTube Channel).

Officials’ Reaction

According to the information contained in the Medical Examiner’s report, Mr. Qavimi’s cause of death was stated to have been being hit with “a sharp object or military grade bullet” (Dadkhahi Campaign YouTube Channel).

During Mr. Qavimi’s funeral services, security agents controlled the attendance of friends and acquaintances who came to the services. Furthermore, they did not allow his family to play Koran recitation recordings and warned them not to cry or sob loudly (ABC interview).

In the days following the events in the town of Sadra and following the dissemination of the news of the killing of Mr. Qavimi and several other citizens, local officials reported the discovery of a number of houses they labelled “the rioters’ residences”. The officials reported that the individuals arrested in these homes had made confessions. They also stated that [the arrestees] were connected to “foreign enemies”. (IRNA, Quds Online).

Familys’ Reaction

Mr. Qavimi’s family has lodged a criminal complaint [with the relevant courts] and is seeking to find the individual or individuals responsible for his murder. However, their efforts and follow-ups had borne no fruit as of early June 2020.

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(1)   The slogans included: “People, why are you sitting still, you are your own saviors,” “What a mistake we made, when we had a revolution,” “Reza Shah, may your soul be content,” “Death to the Dictator,” “We will have our rights [and justice], we will not be debased and belittled,” “oil money has disappeared, it was spent on Palestine,” “Khamenei beware: we are people, not hoodlums.”
(2)   Access to internet was re-established to a certain extent in most provinces (with the exception of Khuzestan Province and Sistan and Baluchestan Province); however, citizens did not have access to the worldwide web through their cell phones until early December. During that time, communications were established through phone services and the national internet, which was more easily controlled by the regime.
(3)   Amnesty International Report, “Iran: Details of 304 Deaths in Crackdown on November 2019 Protests”, May 20, 2020.
(4)   IRNA, “The Interior Minister: The Number of Deaths in November 2019 Will be Announced in the Coming Days”, May 31, 2020.
(5)   ISNA, “The Number of Deaths in the November Events in Iran was 230, and 2000 Wounded”, June 1, 2020.

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