IRAN - Alireza Ghaleghafi

IRAN - Victim Accounts: Alireza Ghaleghafi, 22-Year-Old Law Student

February 12, 2026:

February 12, 2026 - IRAN. Victim Accounts: Alireza Ghaleghafi, 22-Year-Old Law Student.

Live Rounds to the Heart

Alireza Ghaleghafi, a 22-year-old student killed during the nationwide protests of January 2026. A source close to the family has provided new details about the circumstances of his killing, the handling of his body, the arrest of relatives, and the security pressures imposed on his family.

Alireza Ghaleghafi, born in July 2003 and a final-year law student, was killed on 7 January 2026 during protest gatherings in Azadshahr, Golestan province.

Mohammad Ghaleghafi, Alireza’s uncle, told IHRNGO: “Alireza left home to take part in the protests. Like many young people, he did not say exactly where he was going and joined his friends. We first heard he had been shot in Azadshahr. His father, Aboutaleb Ghaleghafi, searched hospitals and clinics and eventually learned that his son had been killed.”
According to the source, a live round was fired directly at Alireza from the front, striking his heart and killing him. “The family believe the shooters were units affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and that they used Kalashnikov rifles (AK-47) with live ammunition.”
He added that people at the scene transferred Alireza to Hazrat Masoumeh Hospital in Azadshahr, a facility described as operating “at the level of a small clinic with minimal medical equipment”.  The victim’s uncle said his nephew had died before reaching the medical centre.
He further reported that two family members were wounded and arrested at the scene when they attempted to help Alireza: “My sister and my son-in-law were shot when they went to assist him. My son-in-law was wounded in the leg and upper shoulder, and my sister was shot in the leg. Despite their injuries, both were arrested and transferred to Gonbad-e Kavous prison. My sister’s leg wound has become severely infected, and we still have no information about their condition.”
According to the source, Alireza’s body was held in the hospital morgue for one week. During that time, the family were not permitted to see the body, nor were his personal belongings, including his mobile phone, returned to them.
Mohammad Ghaleghafi also described security pressure surrounding the release of the body: “After a week, and only under heavy pressure on the family, the body was handed over at 5 a.m. in darkness. They took multiple undertakings from his father and forced him to sign papers stating that Alireza had been a member of the Basij” (the paramilitary branch of the IRGC). “They said that otherwise they would not release the body. His father was in no mental state to understand what he was signing.”
He added that strict security measures were imposed during the burial: “Several vehicles belonging to IRGC Intelligence were present. The family were told not to hold a ceremony and that only first-degree relatives could attend the burial. Nevertheless, after the burial, the family held a mourning ceremony despite the security bodies’ objections.”

Alireza Ghaleghafi was buried in Azadshahr one week after he was killed. At the time of writing, no death certificate has been issued to the family, and no official cause of death has been announced.

https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8608/