Ahmad Zangiabadi
| Ahmad Zangiabadi Persian: احمد زنگی آبادی | |
|---|---|
| Born |
9 April 1965 Kerman |
| Died |
18 November 2014 (aged 49) Tehran |
Ahmad Zangiabadi (Persian: احمد زنگی آبادی, translit. Aḥmad Zangī’abādī; 1965–2014) was an Iranian veteran. He undertook the control and defense of Arvand Rud during the Iran-Iraq war. He was injured in the Tala’ie region of Majnoon Island by sulfur mustard from chemical bombing by Iraqi forces.
Early life
Ahmad Zangiabadi was born in Kerman on the 9 April 1965.[1] Ahmad was only 16 years old when he started to participate in the Iran-Iraq war, which was one year after it began in 1980.[2]
During the war
During the war, Ahmad was a sniper and volleyed RPG.[2] It was then that he commenced responsibility for the control and defense of Arvand Rud, where he was a member of the volunteer army’s logistics unit. On 12 April 1985, Ahmad and his unit were in the Tala’ie region of the Majnoon Island, when a sulfur mustard chemical bomb was drop by Iraqi planes that day. At the time, Ahmad was only 19 years old.[1] He explains that Majnoon Island was completely bombed by sulfur mustard, and they were left defenseless. Between 4pm to 10pm, the unit was in complete incarceration.[2] After 10 pm, Ahmad realized that they were the subjects of a chemical bombing attack. At night they were taken to Ahvaz hospital. However, Ahmad’s condition became worse: his eyes were severely burned, he started vomiting violently, and his entire body began to break out in burns and blisters. He was later taken to Tehran’s medical centers and hospitalized for 40 days.[1] After his release, he returned to Kerman and started his activity in the support department of the staff war of Kerman. He often collected presents from people and sent them to soldiers.[2]
After the war
Due to the severity of his injuries, Ahmad's lungs were badly damaged. He was hospitalized and put on medication while a series of oxygen machines supported him for rest of his life. He married Marzieh, who nursed him and helped Ahmad to have as comfortable of a life as he could. He continued his education in English literature at Imam Hossein University until his eyesight became so weak from the bombing that he could no longer study. Ahmad and Marzieh had one son, named Hesam.[1][2]
Campaigner for peace
A committed campaigner for peace, Ahmad travelled with delegates from the Tehran Peace Museum to The Hague in April 2013. The group attended the Third Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). While moving around with his portable oxygen machine, Ahmad met Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon, and the OPCW’s Director General, Ahmet Üzümcü, and asked them to double their efforts to make a world free of chemical weapons. [1] At the 2013 conference of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Ahmad Zangiabadi listed Iranian sacrifices. This Organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012.[3] He was the active member at the peace museum of Tehran.[4]
Death
Quoted from his obituary: he said, "Life has become a prison the past four months".[5] On 18 November 2014, Ahmad Zangiabadi, died in Tehran. [4]
See also
Reference
- 1 2 3 4 5 Staff, Writer. "Obituary: Ahmad Zangiabadi (1965-2014) Chemical Weapons Victim from the Iran-Iraq War". United Nation In Iran.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Staff, Writer. "opening of the peace museum with memory of Ahmad Zaniabadi". Zangiabadi city. Retrieved 2015.
- ↑ Wright, Robin. "Iran Still Haunted and Influenced By Chemical Weapons Attacks". Time. Retrieved 2014.
- 1 2 Staff, Wruter. "Ahmad Zangiabadi was died". Tasnim News. Retrieved 2015.
- ↑ Wright, Robin. "The War that Haunts Iran’s Negotiators". WilsonCenter. Retrieved 2014.