Assassination of Korosh and Hamid Hajizadeh

On September 22nd, 1998, Korosh Hajizadeh was

assassinated alongside his father, Hamid Hajizadeh, who was a

poet, by the Islamic regime of Iran.

Korosh was nine years old. Hamid, Korosh's father, was

murdered as part of what became known as chain murders in

Iran, a series of murders and disappearances carried out by the

Islamic regime Ministry of Intelligence officers and

operatives from 1988 to 1998. The victims were

more than 80 poets, authors, translators, intellectuals,

ordinary citizens who were dissidents and openly

critical of the Islamic regime of Iran.

Hamid's brother published a report about these two murders later,

part of which reads, "The government physician noted 27

stab wounds on my brother's chest from below his throat to

below his navel, and t- 10 stab wounds on Korosh's

chest, blunt trauma to their heads, puncturing of the heart,

lungs, and intestinal tract, and skinning of Hamid's

fingers on his right hand, from which the physician deduced that

Hamid grabbed the assailant's knife multiple times during

the attack, resulting in deep gashes in his palm.

Those who were at the mortuary or otherwise saw Korosh's body

mention stab marks around his ear, face, and back,

the latter of which must have been the cause of his punctured heart,

lungs, and stomach. The murder was planned with

military precision." Arash Hajizadeh, one of Korosh's older

brothers, said Korosh's eyes were, eyes were wide open

and fixed. His mouth had been torn open.

There was something white in the middle of his chest, just

below his heart. I stepped closer. It was a piece of fat.

I tried to pick it up, but I couldn't.

On the 15th anniversary of Korosh and Hamid's murder, Arvand

Hajizadeh,

Korosh's other older brother, wrote in his weblog, "No,

but I'm afraid to talk to him tonight.

I'm afraid he might blame me for not being there 15 years ago

to rescue, not him, but his Korosh, from those

savages so they wouldn't be able to butcher him before his eyes,

so that we wouldn't forever be asking which one was murdered first,

and then cry and say, 'What difference does it make?

Whoever was first, it was hell for the other,' and then talk

about his kindness and say, 'Since Korosh was a kid and

understood less, I pray to God that they killed my father first

so that he would not have seen how many times his Korosh was stabbed.'

An ancient, a- albeit s- new sadness is assaulting me

tonight. Korosh River's eternal tears are within me

tonight."

Korosh was only nine years old.

May we be free tomorrow.