30 January 2026 :
29 January 2026 - IRAN. Sajad Rahimi amongst the killed
Sajad Rahimi, a vocational school teacher and computer engineer, was shot with live ammunition by Islamic Republic security forces during protests in Marvdasht and later died from severe bleeding after delaying hospital treatment out of fear of the authorities.
According to information obtained by IHR, Sajad Rahimi, 36, was shot with live ammunition on the evening of 9 January 2026 during the nationwide anti-government protests in Marvdasht, Fars province. His brother, Parviz, told IHR: “My brother was single, a computer engineer, a vocational school teacher and a resident of Qeshm. Our family is originally from Marvdasht and belongs to the Baseri tribe. Sajad had been teaching at a vocational school in Qeshm in recent years.”
In December, Sajad was on leave in his hometown when the protests broke out. While he was planning on returning to Qeshm, he decided to take part in the protests on his final night home. On 9 January, he left his home to join the protests. Hours later, his family were informed that he had been injured through a phone call from his friends.
“Sajad had asked his friends not to take him directly to hospital and to first inform the family due to his fear of a ‘coup de grace’ by the security forces. The family transferred him to hospital, but he died as a result of a deep wound caused by live ammunition and severe bleeding. The bullet entered his side and exited from the other side of his body. The doctor said that if he had arrived at the hospital just ten minutes earlier, he would probably have survived,” his brother told IHR.
As Sajad’s father is a respected figure and tribal elder in Marvdasht, authorities agreed to release his body to the family, subject to certain conditions. According to the family, the authorities required that the burial take place with only a limited number of close relatives present, and that the family publicly state that Sajad had been killed by “terrorists” rather than by state forces. The family accepted the restriction on the burial ceremony, but refused to make false statements about the perpetrators.
Ultimately, Sajad’s body was buried under security conditions, with only a small number of relatives present, and without his mother being permitted at the graveside. Sajad’s mother and other family members were forced to observe the burial from a distance.
According to Parviz Rahimi, in Marvdasht there were families who, in order to prevent the security forces from confiscating the bodies of their loved ones and to avoid accepting imposed conditions, kept the bodies of their children at home in bags of ice until they could arrange a burial.
He told IHR: “Next to my brother’s grave there are two other unidentified graves with no names or markings, which likely belong to victims who were not identified.”
Sajad’s family remains under intense pressure from security agencies. Any attempt to mention his name, hold memorial ceremonies or speak about the circumstances of his death has reportedly been met with threats and summons. According to Parviz Rahimi, “his family has been forced to carry their grief in silence and fear, without even being allowed to mourn freely.”
Sajad Rahimi’s brother described him as a kind, compassionate, and courageous young man who, like many others, sought freedom, human dignity, and prosperity for the people of Iran. He protested against inequality, corruption and systematic discrimination.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8574/
