28 January 2026 :

January 27, 2026 - IRAN. Mehrdad Yaghoubi-Mehr killed in Tehran on 8 January.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a 28-year-old protester named Mehrdad Yaghoubi-Mehr was killed during the nationwide protests in Tehran on 8 January 2026. Mehrdad, a Doroud (Lorestan province) native, was a PhD student in chemistry at the University of Tehran, while also working to support himself.

An informed source told IHR: “Mehrdad had gone out specifically to participate in the protests and had even told some of his close relatives about it. He joined the protests consciously, and his decision was based on conviction and motivation. We don’t know exactly what time he was killed but it has been confirmed that he was shot in the head in the Ghaleh Hassan Khan area in south Tehran.”

The source explained how they learned of Mehrdad Yaghoobi-Mehr’s death: “One of our acquaintances contacted me first to give me this tragic news. A few days later, I learned further details through another relative. The family went to collect his body on 9 January, and one of the videos that circulated on social media dates from that time. Part of this video was also sent to me, and seeing it had a very heavy emotional impact on me.”

According to the source, the family are unaware of which specific forces shot Mehrdad who had gone to the protests without them. The family were first informed of his killing through a phone call from his friends.

“I didn’t ask about threats, extortion or security pressure on the family, but I was told that in some cases they don’t even invalidate the victims’ birth certificate so that the official death toll doesn’t rise. The number of those killed is far higher than the figures announced, and among young people from Doroud alone, around 10 to 12 have been killed in Tehran.”

https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8568/