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IRAN - Victim Accounts: 17-Year-Old Bahareh Shahmehri Shot Dead by Sniper
February 21, 2026: February 21, 2026 - IRAN. Victim Accounts: 17-Year-Old Bahareh Shahmehri Shot Dead by Sniper
Bahareh Shahmehri, a 17-year-old student, was shot and killed by a sniper during the nationwide protest in January 2026 in. A source close to her family has provided IHRNGO with details regarding her killing.
Born on 8 May 2008, Bahareh Shahmehri was a 12th-grade graphic design student. Alongside her studies, she also worked as a beautician. She was shot and killed on the evening of 9 January 2026 in Nishapur, in the Farahbakhsh-e Gharbi neighbourhood, after being directly targeted by security forces.
The source close to Bahareh Shahmehri’s family told IHRNGO: “After security forces dispersed the protesters by opening fire, Bahareh, her mother and two of her friends went into a neighbour’s house for safety and remained there for about an hour. When the sound of gunfire subsided, they began heading home through the surrounding alleyways. As they were crossing the street, they encountered around 20 security forces lined up near Azadi Square, wearing anti-riot gear and black helmets and positioned alongside their motorcycles.”
“The armed forces first fired pellet rounds at the protesters,” the source continued,
“people were trying to get away from the area. However, a sniper shot Bahareh in her left side. The bullet entered from her back and struck beneath her left breast. Witnesses said the entry wound and the bullet’s path were larger than those caused by ordinary rounds. Bahareh’s mother and neighbours immediately carried her to the parking of a nearby house and then drove her to Hakim Hospital in Nishapur. She had lost all vital signs before reaching the hospital entrance.”
According to the source, Hakim Hospital in Nishapur was overcrowded with wounded protesters and bodies on the evening of 9 January, and at that time there were no security forces inside the hospital. “Bahareh’s body was registered in the hospital morgue under the alias Zahra Oladi and listed as number 287, due to concerns about possible security repercussions.”
The source further stated: “The head of the morgue told Bahareh’s family that more than 300 wounded individuals and bodies had been transferred to the facility that night, and that he was under severe psychological pressure.”
The source identified the forces present at the scene as affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij (palamilitary branch of IRGC), adding: “Two other individuals who were killed that night were Azizollah Monfared and Yaser Karimi. Azizollah Monfared was shot on the Baghroud Road on the outskirts of Nishapur.”
Referring to the high number of those killed, the source added: “The bodies were not transferred to the Legal Medicine Organisation. A doctor was present at the hospital morgue and examined the victims. Bahareh’s family received her body without facing threats, conditions, payment demands or having to sign any undertakings. The burial ceremony was held a day later in Shadmehrak village, her father’s birthplace, and no security restrictions or pressure were imposed during the ceremony.”
However, according to the source, security forces later insisted that the title ‘Shahideh’ (martyr) be engraved on her gravestone, and that the family would not be permitted to use terms such as ‘Javidnameh’ (eternally remembered) or ‘Daughter of Iran.’
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8631/ (Source: IHR)
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