Iranian president orders probe after man dies from self-immolation in food stand dispute

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian man who set himself on fire after municipal workers shut down his family’s food stand has died from his injuries, prompting the country’s president to order an investigation.

The announcement Tuesday night by President Masoud Pezeshkian came as a district mayor and the head of the enforcement arm in southwestern city of Ahvaz were arrested over the incident, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Warrants have been issued for three others in connection with the case, IRNA said, as the man’s death sparked a renewed public debate over poverty in the Islamic Republic.

Ahmad Baledi, 20, died Tuesday after the fire burned 70% of his body. He set himself ablaze Nov. 2 in a park in Ahvaz in Iran’s oil-rich but long-restive Khuzestan province, as municipal workers closed down the stand, his family’s only source of income.

Initially, Ahvaz’s municipality issued statements describing the closure as a court-sanctioned eviction and said officials took “no coercive action.” But Pezeshkian’s order on Tuesday called on interior ministry to launch a special investigation and condole the Baledi family.

Later Wednesday, IRNA said the city’s overall mayor resigned and four other municipal officials were fired.

There have been no major demonstrations or unrest surrounding Baledi’s death in Ahvaz, some 550 kilometers (340 miles) southwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Protests have swept the city and wider Khuzestan province occasionally in the past, particularly as the area is home to ethnic Arabs, who complain of discrimination by Iran’s Shiite theocracy. Concerns about water supplies as well have sparked protests.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org