Iranian Activist Found Dead After Burning Photo of Khamenei – State Rules Suicide, Activists Cry Murder

Key Points

25-year-old Omid Sarlak was found dead in his car on 1 November 2025, soon after he posted a video of himself burning a photograph of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. In the month since, a dispute has broken out between state and independent media on the circumstances surrounding his death – whether it was a suicide or a state-sponsored killing. The incident has also brought renewed attention to Iran’s repression of political dissent.

State outlets reported that Sarlak was found in his car with a gunshot wound to the head and traces of gunpowder on his hands. Police described the death as self-inflicted and said a pistol was recovered. Opposition media and social posts, however, circulated scenes from his funeral in which hundreds of mourners chanted “they killed him” and “death to Khamenei.”

Hours before his body was discovered, Sarlak posted a video on social media showing him setting fire to a photograph of Khamenei. The clip included a background recording of a speech by Iran’s deposed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. On another Instagram story he wrote: “How long should we endure humiliation, poverty and being ridden over? This is the moment to show yourself, young people. These clerics are nothing but a stream for Iran’s youth to cross.”

The timing of the death and the spread of solidarity acts have unsettled many inside and outside Iran. Videos and statements show others copying Sarlak’s act and burning images of the supreme leader while declaring support for justice and freedom. Human rights advocates noted the extraordinary risks such acts carry, given that insulting the Supreme Leader is a serious offence in Iran that can lead to arrest and harsh punishment.

A widely shared clip showed Sarlak’s father near the scene, crying and saying, “They killed my champion here.” The father later appeared in a televised interview broadcast by state media and urged the public to trust judicial authorities. Activists said the family was under surveillance and called the televised segment coerced.

Sarlak was an aspiring pilot and an amateur boxer who had told one contact that his life was in danger. A friend living abroad said Sarlak had messaged him, saying he feared for his safety and asked others to be his voice. Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late Shah, called Sarlak a hero who sacrificed his life for Iran’s freedom.

See Also: Iran Blocks Family Memorial For Mahsa Amini On Third Anniversary Of Her Death

Iran’s History of Political Repression

Sarlak’s death has reawakened painful memories of past episodes of alleged state violence and of the regime’s suppression of dissent. Observers point to a long record of contested killings and disappearances that critics link to state security services.

Scholars and rights groups recall the chain murders of intellectuals between 1988 and 1999. Iranian authorities later blamed “rogue elements” in intelligence services and some agents were sentenced in 2001. Another case was the 1992 Mykonos restaurant killings in Berlin, where an opposition leader was killed on orders from high levels of Iran’s leadership, according to a German court. Then, in 2019, a former Iranian intelligence operative was murdered in Istanbul after accusing authorities at home of corruption and human rights abuses.

More recently, the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini in 2022 after she was detained by the morality police provoked nationwide protests and sharp international attention. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other groups documented lethal force and mass arrests during those protests. UN investigators have reported a surge in executions and broadening repression in 2025, with the number of executions rising to levels not seen since 2015.

For now, Sarlak’s death has crystallised a wider grievance. Student movement websites said campus protests have not yet taken hold because university spaces remain heavily securitised, but predicted possible serious demonstrations in the coming months. Activists say the wave of copying Sarlak’s act shows mounting anger among youth who feel squeezed by economic hardship and harsh restrictions on expression.

The official investigation into Sarlak’s death is ongoing. The competing narratives from state media and opposition outlets, and the public reaction at the funeral, underscore the volatile mix of political repression and public frustration that has marked Iran’s recent history. [Rh]

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