Remembering Ghazaleh Chelabi: Iranian Family’s Struggle for Freedom and Mourning

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Staff Writer
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Amol City Security Council, in northern Iran, has prevented the families of the martyrs from holding commemoration ceremonies for their loved ones during the Persian New Year holiday, Nowruz.
Amol City Security Council, in northern Iran, has prevented the families of the martyrs from holding commemoration ceremonies for their loved ones during the Persian New Year holiday, Nowruz.

 

This has caused significant distress and grief among the affected families and their communities. Among the many affected is Ghazaleh Chelabi, a 33-year-old athlete and mountaineer with a banking management degree who was killed during the nationwide uprising on September 21, 2022.

 

In a note posted on her Instagram page on March 25, Ghazaleh’s mother, Fatemeh Mojtabaei, addressed her daughter and expressed her disappointment over the cancellation of the ceremony. She said that they had to hold the ceremony at home in the short time they had, but the people of her city did not leave their families alone.

Despite the cancellation, a large crowd of people showered Ghazaleh’s grave with flowers on the day of the planned ceremony. In her note, Fatemeh Mojtabaei wrote that her daughter has a place in the hearts of all free people and is recorded in the history of Iran.

 

Her family had planned to hold a Nowruz commemoration ceremony for her, but the Amol City Security Council prevented the ceremony.
Her family had planned to hold a Nowruz commemoration ceremony for her, but the Amol City Security Council prevented the ceremony.

 

Ghazaleh Chelabi was shot and killed on September 21, 2022, while filming the crowd with her phone during the protests in Amol. She was hit by a high-caliber bullet fired from inside the Amol Governor’s Office. Her phone camera captured the moment she was shot, and when she fell to the ground, the images showed people gathering above her, shouting, “They killed someone.”

Before her death, Ghazaleh had filled out two organ donation cards and requested that her organs be donated to those in need after her death. However, security officials prevented her family from donating her organs, telling them that “this would turn Ghazaleh into a legend.”

The denial of basic human rights, including the right to mourn and remember those who have passed away, is a violation of fundamental principles of human dignity and must be condemned by the international community.
The denial of basic human rights, including the right to mourn and remember those who have passed away, is a violation of fundamental principles of human dignity and must be condemned by the international community.

 

Amol and other cities in Mazandaran province are among the provinces with the highest number of casualties during the 2022-2023 nationwide uprising. The security forces’ hostile actions have caused significant distress and grief among the affected families and their communities, preventing them from honoring their loved ones properly.

 

 

MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI  (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu

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