Khudanoor Lajai, a brilliant young Baloch man killed by the Iranian regime, is one of the symbols of the uprising against the Islamic Republic of Iran. On September 30, 2022, Lajai joined the Zahedan protests against the Islamic regime that resulted in the "Bloody Friday."[1] A day later he quarreled with IRGC personnel and was shot at close range. Family members rushed him to the nearby hospital, the Zahedan Social Security Hospital, which is known to be under IRGC control. His relatives said that he was shot near the spinal cord and could not move properly. IRGC instructed the doctors in the hospital not to conduct a timely operation so that he would die in "slow motion," as his open wounds grew more severe. He was born on October 2, 1995 (other sources say that he was born on September 23, 1995) and died on October 2, 2022.
Khudanoor Lajai
Who Was Khudanoor Lajai?
Khudanoor Lajai was from Shirabad, Zahedan, in Sistan and Balochestan province, or, better said, in Iran-Occupied Balochistan. He was a Baloch traditional dancer, artist and innovative singer. He was active on Instagram, where he shared photos from his daily life. He left behind his younger brother, who suffers from asthma, and his elderly mother. His family is struggling with financial issues.
(Source: Twitter)
Khudanoor Lajai's mother
Symbol Of The Protests Against The Islamic Republic of Iran
Months before he was killed, Lajai was arrested, tortured, and handcuffed to a flagpole by the Basij. According to his mother, the Basij handcuffed him to a flagpole all night over an argument he had with a Basij member's son. Iranian security forces took a photo of him with his hands bound around a flagpole and gave it to his family. The photo later went viral.
A member of his family recounted: "Khudanoor had a small fight with the son of a Basij commander. A person who is a big informant, i.e., someone who sold his nation and religion to the regime, was complaining about Khudanoor. When [Khudanoor] was caught, [the person paid] the agents about 30 million tomans to beat him, take his picture, then we gave nearly 100 million to the agents who stopped beating him and sent him to the judge to go to jail. After a month, we was finally released... [The regime took a picture of him the first night he was arrested], my God, they put out the light from two o'clock in the evening until seven o'clock in the morning and beat him tied to the pole. Khudanoor had asked for water and the officer had brought a glass of water and placed it at a distance so he could see the water but could not reach it... The agents asked us for 100 million tomans [to free him]. We are all workers and we were able to get a hundred million with difficulty."[2]
After his death, the photo of him with his hands handcuffed to the flagpole inspired many anti-regime demonstrations, as Lajai became a symbol of the oppression endured by the people of Iran.
Khudanoor Lajai, who said he was thirsty so the Iranian regime put water in front of his eyes to torment him. (Source: Twitter)
Khudanoor Lajai
University students in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj stage a sit-in in solidarity with Lajai, whom the IRGC handcuffed to a pole in Balochistan. (Source: Twitter)
University students all over Iran stage a sit-in in solidarity with Lajai. (Source: Twitter)
University students all over Iran stage a sit-in in solidarity with Lajai. (Source: Twitter)
In November 2022, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, protesters commemorated the 40-day anniversary of the Zahedan "Bloody Friday" Massacre and Khudanoor Lajai's murder. (Source: Twitter)
On November 19, 2022, a 30-year-old Iranian woman Niko married to an Indian man walked from Maysore Palace to Church street in Banguluru, India, to raise awareness among the Indian public that the problem in Iran is not only about women opposing the hijab, but is about freedom and justice. The Indian Express reported: "In a symbolic gesture, Niko draped in a cotton dupatta, tied her hands to a pole and sat in silence to raise awareness against the state of affairs in Iran. This is to recall the death of a young Baloch named Khudanoor Lajai who was seriously injured during anti-regime protests in Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Balochistan. He later died because the Iranian regime's hospital refused him treatment." (Source: Indianexpress.com)
Artwork commemorating Khudanoor Lajai. (Source: Twitter)
Artwork commemorating Khudanoor Lajai. (Source: Twitter)
Artwork commemorating Khudanoor Lajai on a street in Iran. (Source: Twitter)
Conclusion
Khudanoor Lajai stood up against the Iranian regime. In order to remember Lajai, and do him justice, the international community should support and recognize the legitimate demands of the Baloch, Kurds, Lore, and other nationalities that have been rising up against the oppressive Iranian regime. Iran has proven itself to be a permanent threat to global peace and such threats can be tackled by global efforts. The West should empower Balochistan and Kurdistan, since this is the only key to dismantling the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Balochistan, Kurdistan, and Al Ahwaz want to live in peace, and dignity. They do not want their land, sea, and minerals being misused. Baloch people do not want to see Iran pouring billions of dollars into a proxy war against the collective West. The world has a rare opportunity to give justice to millions of Baloch and other nationalities who are currently under Iranian occupation, and do not want to have anything to do with Iranian ballistic missile attacks and the nuclear bombs being developed by the Tehran.
*Rudam Azad is a Baloch writer, Baloch representative, and human rights activist. He can be reached on Twitter, @RudamAzad and email rudambaloch@gmail.com.
[1] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1790, All Eyes On Balochistan – Remembering The Victims Killed By The Islamic Republic Of Iran In The Zahedan Massacre, September 30, 2024.
[2] Baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com/2022/11/11/khudanoor-lajai-the-story-of-a-baluch-homo-sacer-in-the-land-of-the-bloodthirsty-mullahs, November 11, 2022.
