Iran's Brutal Crackdown Claims Promising Young Lives
Paris, January 13, 2026 - Four individuals from diverse backgrounds fell victim to Iran's severe government crackdown on protests. Rights groups confirm their deaths at the hands of security forces.
Rubina Aminian pursued fashion design with inspiration from Iran's multi-ethnic population. Rebin Moradi showed great promise as a teenage footballer. Mehdi Zatparvar achieved championship status in bodybuilding and weightlifting. Erfan Faraji had just celebrated his eighteenth birthday.
Mounting Death Toll Sparks International Concern
Rights organizations now verify the killing of hundreds of protesters. They fear the final death count might reach thousands. The scale of the government clampdown is only beginning to emerge clearly.
Iran Human Rights director Mamood Amiry Moghaddam spoke to AFP about the victims. He stated that most killed protesters were young men. The group has identified six women among the dead. Nine confirmed victims were minors.
"The killings are intense all over the country where there have been protests," Moghaddam emphasized.
Iranian officials report dozens of security force members have also died. They blame "rioters" and foreign enemies for transforming economic protests into widespread unrest.
A Budding Fashion Designer Silenced
Rubina Aminian was twenty-three years old. She studied textile and fashion design at Tehran's prestigious Shariati College for women. Her Instagram feed proudly displayed clothing inspired by her Kurdish heritage and the Sistan-Baluchistan region.
On January 8, she left her college and joined mass protests. Thousands of Iranians flooded the streets that evening. Norway-based Iran Human Rights analyzed and verified her case.
The group quoted a family source describing her death. Security forces shot her at close range from behind. A bullet struck her head.
Relatives traveled from Kermanshah to identify her body. They confronted hundreds of young protest victims' bodies. Officials initially objected to releasing her remains.
Her family eventually retrieved her body. Authorities in Kermanshah prohibited any mourning ceremony. They forced the family to bury her by the roadside.
A Teenager's Life Cut Short
Erfan Faraji lived in Rey, just outside Tehran. He turned eighteen only a week before his death. Norwegian-based Hengaw rights group verified his killing.
Iranian government forces shot him dead during January 7 protests. A family source told Hengaw they identified his body at Kahrizak morgue.
Images from that morgue showed dozens of body bags. These pictures sparked international alarm. His family collected his body on Saturday.
They buried him without any public announcement. Authorities imposed strict limitations on the funeral.
A Promising Football Talent Lost
Rebin Moradi was seventeen years old. This Kurdish student originally came from Salas-e Babajani in Kermanshah province. He resided in Tehran at the time of his death.
Moradi played in Tehran's youth premier football league. He was a youth player with Saipa Club. Hengaw described him as one of Tehran's most promising young football talents.
Iranian government forces shot and killed him on Thursday. A source familiar with the case provided details to Hengaw.
Moradi's family received confirmation of his death. Authorities have not yet allowed them to take possession of his body.
A Champion Bodybuilder Killed
Mehdi Zatparvar was thirty-nine years old. He came from Rasht in Gilan province along the Caspian Sea. Zatparvar was a former bodybuilding champion who became a coach.
He held a master's degree in sports physiology. Zatparvar began weightlifting at age thirteen. He earned national and international titles in powerlifting and weightlifting between 2011 and 2014.
Hengaw reported that security forces shot and killed him on Friday. The champion athlete became another victim of the government crackdown.
These four individuals represent hundreds of similar cases. Rights groups continue documenting protest-related deaths across Iran. Families struggle with grief under severe government restrictions.
