Sima Moradbeigi

Sima Moradbeigi, a resident of the Kurdish province of Bukan, joined the protests early on following the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini. On October 21, 2022, as protesters found themselves encircled by regime forces, chaos ensued. Amidst the turmoil, Sima lost sight of her husband and fled with the panicked crowd, seeking refuge near a hospital gate. It was there that an agent of the Islamic Republic thrust his gun through the metal grate, firing upon Sima, causing her to collapse in a pool of blood. With her clothes soaked crimson, she clung to her injured arm, struggling to move until kind strangers came to her aid.

Desperately in need of medical attention, they rushed her to a nearby clinic, where the extent of her injuries became horrifyingly clear. Bone splinters and shotgun pellets poured out as her sleeve was removed, signaling the severity of her condition. Urged to seek treatment in a larger city. at Bukan Hospital the Revolutionary Guards obstructed their efforts, denying her a life-saving blood transfusion.

Eventually, through sheer determination, Sima received medical aid at Milad Hospital in Urmia, where surgeons extracted around 80 shotgun pellets from her ravaged arm. However, an estimated 150 more pellets remained embedded, a painful reminder of the brutality she endured. Fearing for her safety, Sima went into hiding, as regime henchmen relentlessly pursued her family, prompting their harrowing escape to Iraq with the help of smugglers.

Stranded in Sulaymaniyah, they faced dire circumstances, lacking access to medical care and vulnerable to the reach of the oppressive Islamic Regime extended arm. Thankfully, The Munich Circle intervened, facilitating their relocation to Germany, where they could finally find refuge and the medical attention Sima desperately needed.