Former political prisoner Mostafa Ghasemi Hasanvand dies by suicide outside UN office in Erbil

Hengaw – Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Mostafa Ghasemi Hasanvand, a former political prisoner and political activist from Alashtar in Iran's Lorestan Province, died by suicide outside a United Nations office in Bahrka, Erbil Province, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Ghasemi Hasanvand, who had previously been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture while detained in Khorramabad Central Prison and the detention facility of the Intelligence Department, took his own life behind the UN building in Bahrka on Sunday, August 2, 2026.

Three days after the incident, media outlets in the Kurdistan Region have largely refrained from reporting on his death. Only Kurdistan Media, the official outlet of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), has acknowledged the incident, describing the death of its member as a "tragic event."

Hengaw has learned that during his stay in the Kurdistan Region, Ghasemi Hasanvand repeatedly sought assistance from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), requesting that his asylum application be processed more quickly. Following repeated rejections, prolonged uncertainty, and a lack of effective legal support, he died by suicide in protest behind the UN office in Bahrka.

Ghasemi Hasanvand, from Alashtar, was arrested by Iranian security agencies in 2023 because of his political activities. During his detention, he was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture. According to information obtained by Hengaw, the effects of that torture remained clearly visible after his release, significantly affecting both his physical health and mental well-being and leaving him in need of ongoing specialized care.

This is not the first such incident involving asylum seekers in the Kurdistan Region. On May 18, 2021, Behzad Mahmoudi, a 25-year-old asylum seeker from Bukan, died after setting himself on fire outside a UN office. In June 2021, Fardin Gerami, a 23-year-old asylum seeker from Naqadeh, attempted suicide at the Qandil Institute but survived following timely intervention.

Hengaw believes that prolonged delays and the lack of effective response by UNHCR in the Kurdistan Region have left political asylum seekers facing severe financial hardship, insecurity, and profound psychological distress.

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights expresses its deep sorrow over the death of Mostafa Ghasemi Hasanvand and calls on the United Nations to assume responsibility, provide transparency, and urgently reform its procedures for processing the cases of political asylum seekers in the Kurdistan Region.