Khodanoor Lajaii

Khodanoor Loved life and Khodanoor loved to dance.

If he was born in a country with a normal government, he might even have been a famous dancer. But he lived under the Islamic Regime in Iran and he was shot dead by their agents in the city of Zahedan. He also has become a symbol of the Iran Revolution, not simply for his tragic death, but rather for what happened to him and the injustice he had to suffer.

Khodanoor was a Balooch, an ethnic group living in Southeast Iran who has experienced mind-boggling injustice and suffering. They are kept artificially poor, to the extent that in some areas, people do not have access to drinking water and have to walk for kilometres to get water from springs, some very unsafe. A few days before writing these lines, a 3-year-old child fell into one of them and lost his life. Many Balooch people, including Khodanoor, did not have a birth certificate or an ID card. This means they are not eligible for many transactions that a normal person should have, for example, to officially buy a house.

But what has brought Khodanoor to the collective conscience of Iranians, is an incident that shows clearly why the regime in Iran is a Mafia organisation, not a normal state. All we know is that Khodanoor had a dispute with somebody, and the somebody was a member of Basij, the paramilitary force of the regime that is always active in suppressing demonstrations. And that person wanted to see Khodanoor humiliated. At this point, the story gets really twisted, because Basiji used his connections in the ‘Police’ and also bribes a station chief, so they arrest Khodanoor. if you think about court orders or arrest warrants, you think about a normal country with a normal government, not a Mafia organisation. But being arrested is not enough for that Basiji. He wants proof that Khodanoor is being humiliated. So, in the ‘Police’ station, they tie him to a pole and leave him there the whole night. And they put a glass of water in front of him, but out of his reach, so he cannot drink it. And then the ‘Police’ take a photo and send it to the other party. And this photo is what Khodanoor is now known for in Iran:

Later on, Khodanoor was released from captivity, but only after his family paid even more ransom to the kidnappers bearing the name ‘Police’. He lived until the regime agents killed him in the massacre of Zahedan. This famous photo is now etched into the minds of many Iranians. And many have imitated this pose in sports events or art performances to pay tribute to him. Below, you can see a few examples.

All responsible for her death will be held accountable. We will not forget, we will not forgive.