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A 20-year-old student from Ahvaz, Ahmad Baladi, has died after setting himself on fire in protest against the destruction of his family\u2019s small food kiosk by municipal agents and security forces. His death has become a searing indictment of the clerical dictatorship\u2019s corruption, repression, and indifference to the misery it inflicts on the poor.<\/p>\n
According to state media,<\/a> Baladi died on November 11, 2025, at Taleghani Hospital, days after suffering burns to more than 70 percent of his body. The incident occurred on 12 Aban (2 November), when enforcement officers from District 3 Municipality of Ahvaz, accompanied by police, arrived without notice and demolished the family\u2019s small restaurant in Park Zeytoun \u2014 a business they had operated for 20 years and their only source of income.<\/p>\n Ahmad\u2019s father, Mojahed Baladi, said he had been detained by municipal agents that morning to prevent him from resisting the demolition. When Ahmad unexpectedly passed by the restaurant after university classes were canceled due to air pollution<\/a>, he saw officials tearing down the building. They cut the electricity, trapping him inside, and ignored his pleas to stop.<\/p>\n As Ahmad shouted that he would burn himself if they continued, officers mocked him \u2014 reportedly asking whether he wanted \u201cmatches or a lighter.\u201d His mother, who rushed to the scene, begged the officials to open the door and even tried to kiss one officer\u2019s hand; instead, she was shoved aside. Moments later, Ahmad poured gasoline over his body and set himself alight. Only then did the agents open the door and douse him with water.<\/p>\n Ahvaz Self-Immolation and the Fear Driving the Crackdown in #Iran<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/4aZC6Cd0zu<\/a><\/p>\n — NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n