Hamid Hajizadeh

Hamid Hajizadeh (b. 1950 – d. 22 September 1998) was a contemporary Iranian poet who wrote under the pen name "Sahar". He was murdered along with his 9 year-old son on 22 September 1998 in Kerman, Iran, which was part of a series of killings of writers known as the "Chain murders".

Biography
Hamid Pour Hajizadeh ("Sahar") was born in 1950 in the city of Bezenjan, located in Kerman province. He earned an associate degree in literature from Kerman Rahnamaiye University, at which time his literary activity flourished. He began to compose poetry and his work would frequently perform well in competitions. He also helped to improve the status of the youth literature community in Shiraz. After the Iranian Revolution Hajizadeh continued his education, studying law at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University, but some post-revolution turmoil prevented him from completing the program. Eventually he earned a bachelor's degree in Persian literature from Shahid Bahonar University and then became a teacher in Kerman. During this time he continued his independent literary pursuits and developed his research. In 1981 he married Rouhangir Sultaninejad, with whom he had three sons.

Death
Hamid Hajizadeh and his son Karoun were murdered some time in the night of September 22, 1998. A detailed report on Hajizadeh's murder was published by Mohammad Hajizadeh, his brother. The report read: "...the government physician noted 27 stab wounds on my brother's chest, from below his throat to below his navel, and ten stab wounds on Karoun's chest... blunt trauma to their heads, puncturing of the heart, lungs, and intestinal tract, and skinning of Hamid's fingers on his right hand from which the physician deduced that Hamid grabbed the assailant's knife multiple times during the attack, resulting in deep gashes in his palm. Those who were at the mortuary or otherwise saw Karoun's body mentioned stab marks around his ear, face, and back, the latter of which must have been the cause of his punctured heart, lungs, and stomach... the murder was planned with military precision. In two or three days we realized what was going on!"