Kurdish asylum seeker attempts end his life suicide at the UN office in Erbil

Hengaw: One month after Behzad Mahmoudi set himself on fire in front of the UN office in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, another refugee from Naghadeh district of West Azerbaijan (Urmia) province in Iranian Kurdistan attempts to end his life in one of the UN-affiliated institutions.

According to a report received by Hengaw Human Rights Organization, on Monday, June 21, 2021, a political asylum seeker from Naghadeh, identified as 23-year-old Fardin Gerami, was detained inside the UN-affiliated Qandil Institute in Erbil. He attempted to end his life but was immediately transferred to the hospital and was saved from death.

A relative of Fardin Gerami told Hengaw that “Fardin attempt to end his life  by taking over 40 sleeping pills  because his demands were not followed up by the Qandil Institute, but he was immediately transferred to Rizgari Hospital  where his stomach was washed and cleared”

"I have asked UN officials to help my friend Behzad Mahmoudi's family, and they have ignored my request and offered  360,000 IQD  (about $ 200) instead which I rejected, “ said Fardin Gerami, who has been living as a political refugee in Iraqi Kurdistan for four years.

Behzad Mahmoudi, a 25-year-old asylum seeker from Bukan district of West Azerbaijan (Urmia) province in Iranian Kurdistan, set himself on fire on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in protest of being deprived of his rights as an asylum seeker and rejecting his request for assistance from the UN.  He lost his due to the high percentage of burns (93%) in one of the medical centers in Erbil.

It is worth mentioning that Fardin Gerami was a close friend of Behzad Mahmoudi and was with Behzad in front of the UN office when he set himself on fire.

Following the self-immolation of Behzad Mahmoudi, Kurdish refugees in the Iraqi Kurdistan region protested several times in front of the UN office and spoke with UN representatives, but have not yet received a clear response to their demands.