Arvin Salimi, eye injury survivor of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, forced to flee Iran under pressure

Hengaw: Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Arvin Salimi, a 24-year-old Kurdish man from the city of Dehgolan, who lost vision in one eye as a result of the crackdown on the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) protests, was ultimately forced to leave his hometown for good under pressure from the security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He had also been sentenced to one year in prison last winter.

According to a report received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in recent days, Arvin Salimi left Iran due to mounting pressure and continuous fabrication of legal cases by Iranian state institutions.

In an interview with Hengaw, Salimi confirmed that he has almost completely lost vision in his left eye and can no longer see with it.

In addition to the loss of sight in one eye, this young man has been targeted by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s judiciary and intelligence services with politically motivated charges.

As part of these fabricated charges, in mid-March 2025, Branch 102 of the Second Criminal Court of Dehgolan sentenced Arvin Salimi to one year in prison on the charge of “membership in Kurdish opposition parties.” He also faced other charges, including “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Hengaw has learned that beyond the fabricated cases and multiple charges brought against him, Salimi was also subjected to repeated phone calls, threats, and warnings from the state’s intelligence services.

On Thursday, October 27, 2022, during the 40th-day memorial ceremony for Reza Lotfi—a protester killed during the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi movement—in Dehgolan, Arvin Salimi was severely injured in the eye by a pellet gun fired by state security forces.

This young man had been targeted by security forces just three months after completing his two-year mandatory military service. Despite seeking medical treatment, he ultimately lost vision in his left eye permanently.