Effat Ghazi
Encyclopedia
Efat Ghazi was a Kurdish
refugee from Iran
who was killed by a letter bomb in Västerås
, Sweden
, in 1990.
Efat Ghazi was born in a Kurdish family in Iranian Kurdistan
. Her father, Qazi Muhammad
, was president of the short-lived Republic of Mahabad
, which was proclaimed in Iranian Kurdistan in 1946. After studying law in Iran, Ghazi worked as a teacher, a profession she continued in Sweden where she later arrived as a refugee. She gained habitual residence
in 1985 but never had Swedish citizenship
. In Sweden, she reunited with her husband, Emir Ghazi, with whom she had two daughters. Emir Ghazi was a former member of the politburo
of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran
(PDK-I) and later leader of the Independence Party of Kurdistan. Efat Ghazi was not politically active.
On 6 September 1990, at about 12:45 p.m., Ghazi was seriously wounded after opening a letter bomb outside her family's house in Västerås
. She was taken to a hospital where she died from her wounds three hours later. From the letter remainders which the police collected from the crime scene, it was confirmed that the letter bomb was addressed to her husband. The Iranian government was quickly suspected by many of having ordered the assassination, which had many similarities to other assassinations and assassination attempts of Iranian political exiles around the world at this time. However, a few years after the assassination, the Swedish police closed the investigation citing lack of evidence.
Thousands of people showed up at the funeral in Västerås, many of them from abroad. Among the speakers at the funeral was C.-H. Hermansson, former leader of the Swedish Left Party
.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
refugee from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
who was killed by a letter bomb in Västerås
Västerås
Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, in 1990.
Efat Ghazi was born in a Kurdish family in Iranian Kurdistan
Iranian Kurdistan
Iranian Kurdistan is an unofficial name for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has borders with Iraq and Turkey. It includes Kurdistan Province, Kermanshah Province, Ilam Province and parts of West Azerbaijan province....
. Her father, Qazi Muhammad
Qazi Muhammad
Qazi Muhammad was a nationalist and religious Kurdish leader and the Head of the Republic of Kurdistan, the second modern Kurdish state in the Middle East ....
, was president of the short-lived Republic of Mahabad
Republic of Mahabad
The Republic of Mahabad , officially known as Republic of Kurdistan and established in Iranian Kurdistan, was a short-lived, Kurdish government that sought Kurdish autonomy within the limits of the Iranian state. The capital was the city of Mahabad in northwestern Iran...
, which was proclaimed in Iranian Kurdistan in 1946. After studying law in Iran, Ghazi worked as a teacher, a profession she continued in Sweden where she later arrived as a refugee. She gained habitual residence
Habitual residence
In conflict of laws, habitual residence is the standard used to determine the law which should be applied to determine a given legal dispute. It can be contrasted with the law on domicile, traditionally used in common law jurisdictions to do the same thing....
in 1985 but never had Swedish citizenship
Swedish nationality law
Swedish nationality law determines entitlement to Swedish citizenship. Citizenship of Sweden is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis...
. In Sweden, she reunited with her husband, Emir Ghazi, with whom she had two daughters. Emir Ghazi was a former member of the politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran
Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran
The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan , abbreviated as PDKI, KDPI, PDK-I, is a Kurdish political party in Iranian Kurdistan which seeks the attainment of Kurdish national rights within a democratic federal republic of Iran....
(PDK-I) and later leader of the Independence Party of Kurdistan. Efat Ghazi was not politically active.
On 6 September 1990, at about 12:45 p.m., Ghazi was seriously wounded after opening a letter bomb outside her family's house in Västerås
Västerås
Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm...
. She was taken to a hospital where she died from her wounds three hours later. From the letter remainders which the police collected from the crime scene, it was confirmed that the letter bomb was addressed to her husband. The Iranian government was quickly suspected by many of having ordered the assassination, which had many similarities to other assassinations and assassination attempts of Iranian political exiles around the world at this time. However, a few years after the assassination, the Swedish police closed the investigation citing lack of evidence.
Thousands of people showed up at the funeral in Västerås, many of them from abroad. Among the speakers at the funeral was C.-H. Hermansson, former leader of the Swedish Left Party
Left Party (Sweden)
The Left Party is a socialist and feminist political party in Sweden, from 1967 to 1990 known as the Left Party – The Communists .On welfare issues, the party opposes privatizations...
.