Furious Iran protests calls for ‘Death to Khamenei’ after child killed | World | News

Thousands of Iranian protesters have gathered for the funeral of a nine-year-old killed by the regime, chanting “Death to [Ali] Khamenei”, the nation’s Supreme Leader. Large crowds gathered in Izeh, southwest Iran, to pay their respects to the friends and family of nine-year-old Kian Pirfalak, who was fatally shot in the chest while driving home with his father, who was himself hospitalised, during a protest on Wednesday. 

The crowds appear increasingly irritable as the state media, on behalf of the theocratic regime, continue to deny responsibility for the murder of Kian, blaming it instead on terrorism. 

In the footage, protesters in their thousands scream “Death to Khamenei!”, with others chanting “they killed our children”. 

The death of Kian, as well as 14-year-old Sepehr Maghsoudi, reportedly shot in the head by gunmen on motorbikes in Izeh on the same day, has further infuriated Iranian citizens. 

State media claim that the motorbike attacks, which killed seven people in the southwest, were the act of “terrorists” unaffiliated with the regime. 

State news agency Irna said two gunmen riding motorbikes targeted protesters as well as security personnel at the central market in Izeh at around 17:30 local time (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

But opposition leaders and activists dismissed the claims, suggesting in the case of Kian and his father a group of security personnel opened fire on their vehicle. 

Protesters in the Iranian capital of Tehran could be heard chanting “Rainbow god, they killed our children” on Thursday in memory of Kian. 

And sources close to the family of 14-year-old Sepehr said Iranian security forces had shot the teenager in the head with a live round, before stealing his body from the morgue two hours later. 

At least 56 children have been killed during the protests in Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, according to he Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). 

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At least 362 protesters have died in the past two months, while more than 16,000 have been arrested by security forces. State executions of those participating in the events are also being carried out. 

Over the past two days since the death of Kian and Sepehr, hundreds of thousands of Iranians across the nation have flooded the streets to fight against the regime. 

Shahin Gobadi, press spokesman of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), told Express.co.uk on Friday that “Kian symbolized the Iranian people’s innocence”, as well as the “regime’s brutality”, while the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Maryam Rajavi, said the nine-year-old “symbolises the high fighting spirit of the people of Iran”. 

Mr Gobadi said: “Everybody in Iran knows who murdered Kian. The criminal regime of Ali Khamenei who has murdered more than 50 juveniles during the nationwide uprising. The regime cannot fool no one by these threadbare preposterous claims. Kian symbolized the Iranian people’s innocence and the regime’s brutality who killed dozens of people just on November 15 and 16 for seeking freedom. The mother of Kian today during his burial ceremony explicitly said he was shot by the plain-clothed agents and the State Security Forces.  

Maryam Rajavi added: “The heroic people of Izeh once again rose up while bidding farewell to innocent Kian Pirfalak, vowing to bring down Khamenei’s oppressive regime. Kian symbolizes the awake conscience, innocence, and high fighting spirit of the people of Iran. The entire nation salutes Kian.” 

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