Akhlaghi recreates Iran's most notorious death scenes from the time before cameraphones, becoming an eyewitness to her nation's past. From the controversial poet who swerved her car to avoid a school bus and died in the process, to the mysterious end of Iran's beloved gold-medal wrestler, here's a selection of images from her astonishing series By An Eyewitness
Wed 9 Apr 2014 08.00 BST Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 15.32 BST
Evin Hills, Tehran – Bijan Jazani, leftist intellectual who was executed in mysterious circumstances. 18 April 1975. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Tehran – Marzieh Ahmadi Oskuie, student activist shot by the SAVAK secret police. 26 April 1974. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Atlantic Hotel, Tehran – Gholamreza Takhti, the Olympic gold-medal wrestler. 7 January 1968. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Faculty of Engineering, Tehran University – Azar Shariat Razavi, Ahmad Ghandchi, Mostafa Bozorgnia were three students murdered by police. They are commemorated every year by demonstrations, on what is now called Student Day. 7 December 1953. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Tehran – Forough Farrokhzad, controversial poet who swerved her car to avoid crashing into schoolchildren, then crashed into a stone wall and died on impact. 13 February 1967. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Tehran – Mahmoud Taleghani, humanist, Ayatollah and founder of the Freedom Movement of Iran. Huge crowds descended on the morgue to pay their respects; many fainted, and many of the windows were broken. 10 September 1979. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Southampton, UK – Ali Shariati, sociologist and revolutionary placed in solitary confinement by the government for 18 months, before public pressure called for his release. He was allowed to move to the UK; he died mysteriously three weeks later. 19 June 1977. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Chicago – Sohrab Shahid Saless, famed film director who died in Chicago from chronic liver disease. 1 July 1998. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Mashhad – Colonel Mohammad Taghi-Khan Pesyan. The funeral procession of the popular military leader who was beheaded in 1921. His head was brought back to Tehran to prove his death. 7 October 1921. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Tehran – Mirzadeh Eshghi, political writer killed by two mysterious gunmen at his home. 3 July 1924. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Qasr Prison, Tehran – Mohammad Farrokhi Yazdi, poet, politician and later political prisoner who died by air injection. 17 October 1939. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Ahmad-abad, Iran – Mohammad Mosaddegh, prime minister from 1951-53 whose government was overthrown by a coup implemented by the CIA. After three years in prison, he was held here under house arrest until his death. 5 March 1967. Photograph: Azadeh Akhlaghi Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
