IRAQ: Kurdish man from Iran lights himself on fire in front of U.N. building in Erbil in protest of failed asylum application and poor living conditions

ERBIL, Iraq — In desperation at his situation, an asylum seeker from Iran lit himself on fire in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), on Tuesday. The man, who had applied to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to obtain asylum, was reduced to living on the streets.

In protest at the difficulties faced by people attempting to relocate to safer countries from politically repressive countries like Iran, the Kurdish man set himself on fire in front of the United Nations headquarters in Erbil.

The 27-year-old Behzad Mahmoudi, known as Muhammad, is currently hospitalized in Erbil in critical condition. He has serious burns over 90% of his body.

Pouring petrol on his body, he set himself on fire in the sight of a large number of TV correspondents and media representatives.

The KRI Ministry of Culture and Youth called on the KRI Presidency of the Public Prosecution Authority to prosecute the TV correspondents and media representatives who covered the tragic incident and did nothing to prevent the man’s actions and intervened long after the man had set himself on fire.

The Ministry called on all media outlets to refrain from broadcasting news, reports, and programs that incite violence, murder, and suicide.

Mahmoudi, who hails from Bukan in Iran, has been living in Erbil for more than four years. He had applied for asylum to the U.S., but to no avail, according to the Kurdish man’s friends.