Hamed Esmaeilion
{{Short description|Iranian-Canadian social activist, author and dentist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hamed Esmaeilion
| native_name = {{lang|fa|حامد اسماعیلیون}}
| image = File:Hamed Esmaeilion.jpg
| caption = Hamed Esmailion at the grave of his wife and daughter, two of the people who died in Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|03|12}}
| birth_place = Kermanshah, Imperial State of Iran
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = University of Tabriz
| nationality = Iranian
| citizenship =
| years_active =
| title = Former President and spokesman of The Association of Victims' Families of Flight PS752
| occupation = Social activist, author and dentist
| employer =
| credits =
| spouse = {{marriage|Parisa Eghbalian||2020|reason=her death}}
| children = Reera (deceased)
}}
Hamed Esmaeilion ({{langx|fa|حامد اسماعیلیون}}, born March 12, 1977) is an Iranian-Canadian social activist and author.{{Cite web |url=https://eandedentistry.ca/content/dr-hamed-esmaeilion |title=Dr. Hamed Esmaeilion - Aurora E&E Dentistry |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=7 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007071224/https://eandedentistry.ca/content/dr-hamed-esmaeilion |url-status=dead }} Esmaeilion won the Hooshang Golshiri Literary Awards for two of his books, Dr. Datis and Thyme is not Fair. {{cn|date=August 2024}}
Esmaeilion was the president and former spokesman of The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims.Borger, Julian. [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/14/our-lives-are-destroyed-families-take-fight-for-truth-of-flight-752-to-icc ‘Our lives are destroyed’: families take fight for truth of flight 752 to ICC]. The Guardian: 14 September 2022.Burke, Ashley; Tizhoosh, Nahayat. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/flightps752-second-anniversary-concerns-rcmp-investigation-ukraine-1.6304422 Families of Flight PS752 victims say RCMP isn't doing enough to help Ukraine's criminal probe]. 8 January 2022: CBC. He resigned on 7 March 2023, after announcing he is planning to focus more on the Mahsa Amini protests.{{Cite web |title=اسماعیلیون برای تمرکز بر نقشش در انقلاب ایران از سخنگویی انجمن پرواز اوکراینی استعفا داد |url=https://www.iranintl.com/202303077084 |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=ایران اینترنشنال (Iran International) |language=fa}}
Early life and career
His parents were originally from Arak, Iran and moved to Kermanshah where Hamed was born and grew up. He studied Dentistry at the University of Tabriz between 1995 and 2000. Afterwards, he worked and lived in various parts of Iran, such as Golestan, Mazandaran and Tehran provinces for several years. He immigrated to Canada together with his family in 2010 and lived in Richmond Hill, Ontario.[https://dandane.ir/%DA%AF%D9%BE%E2%80%8C%D9%88-%DA%AF%D9%81%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86/ نویسنده جسور، دندانپزشک محافظه‌کار/ گپ‌و گفتی با حامد اسماعیلیون][https://www.radiofarda.com/a/ukrainian-plane-crash-hamed-esmaeilion/30401824.html سرنگونی پرواز ۷۵۲ به روایت یک «نویسندۀ نانجیب»]
Literary life
As a blogger, Esmaeilion began his literary career by publishing two collections of short stories, Thyme is not Fair (2008, winner of the Houshang Golshiri Award) and The Canary Owner (2010). He published two novels, Dr Datis (2013, Zavosh) and Gamasiab Has No Fish (2014), the former was also awarded the Golshiri Award.{{Cite web |title=Hamed Esmaeilion Recommends |url=http://www.parsagon.com/hamed-esmaeilion-recommends/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002130255/http://www.parsagon.com/hamed-esmaeilion-recommends/ |archive-date=2 October 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022 |website=Parsagon}}{{cite web |url=http://www.parsagon.com/houshang-golshiri-awards/ |title=Houshang Golshiri Awards |work=The Parsagon Review |author=Shataw Naseri |date=5 June 2014 |accessdate=July 5, 2015 |archive-date=3 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190303170735/http://www.parsagon.com/houshang-golshiri-awards/ |url-status=dead }}{{better source needed|date=August 2024}}
Death of his wife and daughter
{{Main|Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752}}
Parisa Eghbalian (Esmaeilion's wife) and Reera Esmaeilion (his daughter), flew with Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 from Tehran to Kyiv on 8 January 2020. This flight was shot down by two surface-to-air missiles of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after takeoff, which the IRGC said they mistook for a ballistic missile ,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/middleeast/missile-iran-plane-crash.html|title=Iran Says It Unintentionally Shot Down Ukrainian Airliner|date=10 January 2020|newspaper=The New York Times|url-status=live|access-date=10 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111072451/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/middleeast/missile-iran-plane-crash.html|archive-date=11 January 2020}} killing all 176 passengers and crew aboard, including Esmaeilion's wife and daughter. The flight was supposed to take off at 5:15 (local time) but was delayed; eventually it flew on 6:12, was then struck after a few minutes and crashed near the city of Parand.{{cite news |title=Iran under pressure to explain Tehran plane crash after 176 killed in Ukrainian jet disaster |website=The Daily Telegraph |date=8 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604213501/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/08/iran-plane-crash-170-passengers-feared-dead-ukraine-boeing-737/ |archive-date=4 June 2023 |url-status=live |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/08/iran-plane-crash-170-passengers-feared-dead-ukraine-boeing-737/ |last1=Oliphant |first1=Roland |last2=Mendick |first2=Robert |last3=Nicholls |first3=Dominic }}
Esmaeilion is one of the founders and was also the president and spokesman of The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims until March 2023, which he said were trying to "take legal action for this crime" and "commemorate the memory of the dead".[https://iranwire.com/fa/features/38220/ خانواده‌های قربانیان هواپیمای اوکراینی: تضمینی وجود دارد ایران به هواپیمای دیگری شلیک نکند؟][https://iranwire.com/fa/videos/37621/ حامد اسماعیلیون: با اظهارات نماینده مجلس یکبار دیگر هواپیما سقوط کرد ] He was later featured in 752 Is Not a Number, a Canadian documentary film, directed by Babak Payami and released in 2022.Nicole Thompson, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2022/09/11/in-doc-752-is-not-a-number-payami-seeks-to-humanize-victims-of-tragedy.html "In doc ‘752 Is Not A Number,’ Payami seeks to humanize victims of tragedy"]. Toronto Star, September 11, 2022.
Opposition to the Iranian government
During the Mahsa Amini protests, an internet blackout followed by a cyber attack targeted "the Covenant", the movement's initial leader, leaving the protesters without direction. In the aftermath, key Iranian opposition figures outside the country—Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran, soccer player Ali Karimi, Esmaeilion, and women's rights activist Masih Alinejad—formed a coalition.{{Cite news |last=فردا |first=رادیو |date=2023-04-26 |title=تاکید چهار عضو ائتلاف «همبستگی» بر «تداوم اتحاد» در سایه کناره‌گیری حامد اسماعیلیون و غیبت شاهزاده رضا پهلوی |url=https://www.radiofarda.com/a/statement-hambastegi-coalition-iran-bonyadi-ebadi-alinezhad-mehtadi/32380667.html |access-date=2024-12-29 |work=رادیو فردا |language=fa}} They amplified their message through media outlets such as BBC and Iran International, assuming leadership of the movement.{{Cite web |title=ایران اینترنشنال |url=https://www.iranintl.com/program/woman-life-freedom |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=ایران اینترنشنال |language=fa}}
On October 1, 2022, Esmaeilion organized a global demonstration against the Islamic Republic for Iranians living abroad, in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini to support the Mahsa Amini protests.
These rallies took place in more than 150 cities throughout the world against the Islamic Republic. Protests happened in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Edinburgh, Stockholm, Brussels, Berlin, Rome, Los Angeles and Toronto. Global news estimated that in Richmond Hill, Ontario more than 50 thousand protesters attended the rally.[https://www.iranintl.com/en/202210012118 Worldwide Rallies Show Unprecedented Support For Iran Protests]. 1 October 2022. Iran International.[https://www.iranintl.com/en/202210022635 Organizer Of Global Rallies Calls For Expulsion Of Tehran’s Envoys ]. 2 October 2022. Iran International.[https://iranwire.com/en/politics/108129-global-protests-planned-in-solidarity-with-iranians/ Global Protests Planned in Solidarity with Iranians ]. 30 September 2022. Iran Wire.{{Cite web |title=More than 50K attend Richmond Hill, Ont. protest against Iranian government - Toronto {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9169782/richmond-hill-iran-protest/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=Global News |language=en-US}} Esmaeilion organized another demonstration in Berlin on October 22, 2022 and invited Iranians in Europe to be the voice for protesters in Iran. The number of protesters were estimated at about 80,000 to 100,000 by ABC news.{{Cite web |title=Tens of thousands march in Berlin in solidarity with Iran protests |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/tens-thousands-march-berlin-solidarity-iran-protests/story?id=91926288 |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=ABC News |language=en}}
In March 2023, he resigned as the president and spokesman of The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims to focus more on his role in Iran's "Women, Life, Freedom" protests.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-07 |title=اعلامیه انجمن در مورد کناره گیری دکتر حامد اسماعیلیون از سمت دبیری و سخنگوی انجمن - The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims / PS752 انجمن خانواده‌های جانباختگان پرواز {{!}} PS752Justice |url=https://www.ps752justice.com/fa/resignation-of-dr-hamed-esmaeilion-from-role-of-president-and-spokesperson/,%20https://www.ps752justice.com/fa/resignation-of-dr-hamed-esmaeilion-from-role-of-president-and-spokesperson/ |access-date=2023-03-07 |language=fa-IR}}
Despite concerns from many, including members of the Covenant, who believed the movement had been "hijacked" or "emotionalized," the protests persisted for several more months before eventually collapsing. A few weeks later, the coalition itself disbanded.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-16 |title=چپ و راست افراطی علیه منشور مهسا! |url=https://www.iranglobal.info/fa/node/182551 |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=www.iranglobal.info |language=fa}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{external media
|video1= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-pj-K7RIyU Activist Hamed Esmaeilion] fights against the Supreme Leader of Iran and calls for justice for victims of the Flight PS752, CNN Connect.
}}
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- {{Official website|https://www.ps752justice.com}}
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Category:People from Kermanshah