Iranian man’s death in France shakes distressed diaspora

By ARNO PEDRAM
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — When a 38-year-old man anguished over the protests in Iran took his own life in the French city of Lyon this week, fellow members of the Iranian diaspora felt his pain. Three months into the anti-government protests, Iranians abroad are experiencing a spectrum of emotions. Activists and counselors hope Mohammad Moradi’s desperate act inspires others to reach out for help and to raise awareness of what’s happening in Iran. The Iranian Kurdish man arrived in France in 2019 with his wife and was pursuing a history PhD. In videos in Farsi and French recorded before his death, Moradi criticized Iran’s leadership. The recordings featured him saying, “When you see this video, I will be dead.”