THE GUARDIAN: Iran’s police say Omid Sarlak, 22, shot himself, but fellow activists suspect he may have been killed for his views
The death of a young Iranian man who had filmed himself burning a photograph of the country’s supreme leader has sparked a war of words between state media and activists over how he died.
Government-sanctioned news websites reported that Omid Sarlak, who was in his 20s, had been found in his car on Saturday in western Iran with a gunshot wound to his head and traces of gunpowder on his hands. Iranian police said Sarlak had “died by suicide”.
But anti-government media and activists say the timing of the death, so soon after he made a public outcry against the government, raises suspicions about whether he was killed for his views.
Hours before Sarlak’s body was found, a video posted on his social media account showed him burning the photo of the Islamic Republic’s leader, Ali Khamenei. » | Deepa Parent | Saturday, November 8, 2025
