Man Sets Himself on Fire to Protest Court Verdict in Iran

Illustrative: A prisoner being held in an Iranian prison. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
Illustrative: A prisoner being held in an Iranian prison. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
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Man Sets Himself on Fire to Protest Court Verdict in Iran

Illustrative: A prisoner being held in an Iranian prison. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
Illustrative: A prisoner being held in an Iranian prison. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

A 65-year-old man has died after he set himself on fire in central province of Markazi when a court issued a verdict against him in dispute with his employer.

YJC.ir, a news website affiliated to the Iran’s state TV, is reporting that the man set himself on fire in front of labor and social welfare building in Arak city, 230 kilometers (some 140 miles) southwest of the capital of Tehran.

Earlier inside the building, a court issued a verdict against him.

The report said he died after self-immolating, The Associated Press reported.

The act recalls the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, the street seller whose suicide by fire on December 17, 2010 launched Tunisia's revolution which in turn sparked the Arab Spring that toppled several autocratic leaders in the region.

Earlier in October, a 38-year-old man, Ruhollah Parazideh, father of four, set himself on fire over his unemployment and died in a hospital after two days in a hospital because of heavy damages. It led to dismissal of two local officials in Shahid Foundation that looks after matters of families of war victims.



Ukraine, UK sign a 100-year Partnership Agreement

KYIV, UKRAINE - JANUARY 16: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky look on at the start of their bilateral talks at Mariinskyi Palace on January 16, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS
KYIV, UKRAINE - JANUARY 16: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky look on at the start of their bilateral talks at Mariinskyi Palace on January 16, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS
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Ukraine, UK sign a 100-year Partnership Agreement

KYIV, UKRAINE - JANUARY 16: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky look on at the start of their bilateral talks at Mariinskyi Palace on January 16, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS
KYIV, UKRAINE - JANUARY 16: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky look on at the start of their bilateral talks at Mariinskyi Palace on January 16, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a landmark 100-year partnership agreement on Thursday to deepen security ties and strengthen their countries' relationship.

"Today is a truly historic day, our relationship is closer than ever," Zelenskiy told media after the signing.

For his part, Starmer told reporters that "together we signed a landmark agreement, the very first of its kind, a new partnership between the UK and Ukraine that reflects the huge affection that exists between our two nations."