The young female student whom the MEK called “Mujahid Martyr Zahra Bahlolipour” liked to be called “Raha”. She was born in 2003 and was an Italian language student at the University of Tehran. She was killed on Friday, January 19, in street protests, and Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) added her name to the list of “martyrs of resistance units,” but her family, friends, classmates, and even the Tehran University Union Council denied her connection with the notorious MEK.
In a report published by Sharq Daily about the killing of Zahra Bohlulipour and several other students during the protests, her friends are quoted as saying that on Friday, January 10, Raha and several of her friends came to the conclusion that the dormitory was not safe; for this reason, they gathered their belongings to go to a friend’s house. They arrived at one of the city squares where they were shot by some motorbike riders.
After the shooting ends, the group tries to escape until one of her friends notices that Raha is still there. When he turns to her, he sees that she is bleeding. Later, at the hospital, they say that the bullet hit her heart and lungs.
Raha was laid to rest on January 14 in Firuzabad, a city near Shiraz.
An MEK-affiliated website, titled “Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance,” published Raha’s photo claiming that she was a member of the MEK: “Mujahed Martyr Zahra Bohlulipour (Raha), born in 2007, was a student of Italian language at the Faculty of Languages and Literature of Tehran University.”
The MEK-affiliated media even went a step further and published a message from Ali Safavi, an official of the so-called NCRI in the United States, who addressed Raha as “My dear sister, Zahra!” and wrote: “You now stand among 100,000 MEK martyrs”.
This extremely opportunistic and hypocritical act by the MEK has sparked a wave of anger and hatred among Raha’s friends who knew her closely. Her friends and acquaintances tried to clarify that she had no link with the MEK by publishing messages on social networks. Her family had previously denied their young daughter’s connection to the MEK.
Following this claim by MEK, the General Student Union Council of Tehran University also issued a statement strongly condemning rumors about the connection of Tehran University students with armed terrorist groups including the MEK.
One of Raha Bohlulipour’s friends wrote on her X social media account: “Raha (Zahra) Bohlulipour has never been linked to any armed group, including the so-called MEK, false claims and manipulated images spread by this discredited group aim to mislead public opinion and whitewash crimes.”
Another friend, who is also very upset about Raha’s blood being confiscated by the MEK, wrote: “Raha was the most alive person I had ever seen in my life. Be Raha’s voice. Raha has nothing to do with the MEK.”
Another user wrote in defense of Raha’s name: “Raha Bohlulipour has nothing to do with this dirty organization. A free, loving girl full of life…”
Yes, Raha, like many other Iranian girls, loved life and could not be a member of a group that denies life in practice and even removes the word “life” from the manifestations of its struggle. The fake narrative of the MEK that Raha’s blood was attributed to them can be proven in different ways. While the so-called NCR Women Committee website has included the fake slogan “Women, Resistance, Freedom” on its front, Raha wrote “Women, Life, Freedom” in her last message on Telegram.
Raha’s young body now rests in a corner of Iranian soil. Her grieving family and friends no longer have Raha, the very girl who was passionate about life. They are enduring this great pain while worrying that their beloved’s name will be tainted by the MEK’s notorious name.
Mazda Parsi