Kurdish asylum-seeker who set himself on fire outside UN office dies in Erbil

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An asylum-seeker from Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhalat) has died in an Erbil hospital of injuries he sustained from setting himself on fire outside the United Nations Refugee Agency office five days earlier, medics and police said.

Behzad Mahmoudi, 25, from the Kurdish region of Boukan in Iran, set himself on fire last Tuesday in front of the UNHCR headquarters in the Kurdistan Region’s capital in protest of the organization’s delay in processing his refugee case.

Mahmoudi suffered burns on more than 90 percent of his body, medics said. He died at the Erbil Emergency Center late Sunday of complications from his injuries, police spokesperson Hogar Aziz told Kurdistan 24.

The man’s self-immolation sparked protests among fellow Iranian Kurdish asylum-seekers in front of the UN compound last week, reiterating their demands for resettlement and better conditions in the country.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Monday it was "saddened" by Mahmoudi's death.

"This tragic loss of life is regrettable, and we expres sour deepest sympathy and stand with his family, friends and loved ones" the agency said in a statement, adding that staff met with displaced Kurdish Iranians on Sunday "to discuss their concerns" and support.

Video of Mahmoudi's self-immolation sparked outrage throughout the Kurdistan Region as residents decried the decision of journalists who were present but did not stop Mahmoudi from setting himself ablaze.

Thousands of Kurds from Iran have left for the Kurdistan Region, some motivated by political opposition to the government, but also for economic reasons as years of sanctions have taken a toll on Tehran’s finances. More than 10,000 Kurds from Iran are registered with the UNHCR in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Joint Crisis Coordination Center .

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly