Rubina Aminian Family Forced to "Steal" Daughter's Body from Morgue

Rubina Aminian, a 23-year-old Kurdish fashion design student described as being "full of life," was shot in the head and killed at close range on January 8 after leaving her classes at Shariati College to join anti-regime protests in Tehran. Her tragic death has brought to light a harrowing account of the government's crackdown; in an emotional interview with CBS News, her family detailed a nightmarish search for her remains that ended in a crowded morgue filled with the bodies of hundreds of other young protesters. Faced with authorities who refused to release the body, Aminian’s mother was forced to take drastic action—physically carrying her daughter’s 40-kilo body out of the facility to "steal" her back and drive her home to Kermanshah.

Erfan Soltani faces imminent execution

The case of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old shopkeeper, has become a global symbol of this judicial weaponization.

Iran postponed the execution of a 26-year-old protester sentenced to death days after his arrest, human rights groups and family members said. The delay comes as the country’s deadly clashes and rising protest deaths continue. Earlier, chief justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei urged speedy trials and executions of “rioters,” officials’ term for protesters, in a video shared by semiofficial Tasnim.

Zahra Bohlouli, 18 , was shot to death by security forces

Zahra Bohlouli Pour (Raha), born in 2007, was a student of Italian Language at the Faculty of Languages and Literature of the University of Tehran. On the evening of January 8, 2026, she was killed by direct gunfire from the regime’s security forces. Zahra was shot in the head with a Kalashnikov weapon at Fatemi Square in Tehran and was slain. Zahra had just begun her second year at the University of Tehran and was pursuing her studies and future with hope.

Hundreds of Children Arrested

Hundreds of children and adolescents face arrest during Iran nationwide protests December 2025–January 2026. These actions violate the Convention on the Rights of the Child and threaten child rights seriously.

Reports from January 4, 2026, state that students including Soha Davoudifar, Hesam Mohammadi, Benyamin Mousavi, and dozens of other adolescents were arrested, raising concerns about their legal rights and detention conditions. High-profile arrests of 15-year-old Ilya Ekvanian and 16-year-old Mahan Khoobani have drawn human rights outcry and become symbols of targeting youth in the protests.

Aida Heydari Medical student at Tehran University

The Iranian medical community is in mourning following the confirmation that Aida Heidari, a 21-year-old first-semester student at the prestigious Tehran University of Medical Sciences, was shot and killed by government forces on January 8, 2026. While participating in nationwide protests in Tehran’s Sadeghiyeh Square, Heidari was targeted and fatally wounded during a massive crackdown that claimed the lives of multiple young students across the capital. Reports indicate she was struck by direct fire during the evening unrest, cutting short a promising medical career before it could truly begin. Her killing, alongside that of 19-year-old Zahra Bahlulipour on the same day, signals a disturbing and lethal escalation in state violence against the nation's university students.

cycle of horrific violence

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk expressed horror at the "cycle of horrific violence" and condemned the labeling of peaceful protesters as "terrorists"

“It is also extremely worrying to see public statements by some judicial officials indicating the possibility of the death penalty being used against protesters through expedited judicial proceedings” he added.

He noted that since 8 January, the Iranian authorities have imposed a nationwide internet shutdown, affecting peoples’ rights to freedom of expression and access to information, disrupting emergency and lifesaving services and obstructing independent human rights monitoring.

“Iranians have the right to demonstrate peacefully,” said Mr. Türk. “Their grievances need to be heard and addressed, and not instrumentalised by anyone.”

Iran: Massacre of protesters

Verified videos and credible information from eyewitnesses in Iran reveal mass unlawful killings committed on an unprecedented scale amidst an ongoing internet shutdown imposed by the authorities since 8 January to conceal their crimes, Amnesty International said today.

Amnesty International found that security forces on streets and rooftops — including residential buildings, mosques and police stations — repeatedly shot rifles and shotguns loaded with metal pellets at unarmed protesters, often hitting heads and torsos. Hospitals are overwhelmed; families search for missing loved ones among body bags at overflowing morgues and see bodies piled in pickup trucks, freight containers, or warehouses.

“This spiral of bloodshed and impunity must end. Even by the Iranian authorities’ own bleak record of committing gross human rights violations and crimes under international law during successive waves of protests, the severity and scale of killings and repression since 8 January is unprecedented,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

Merz Joins UK and France in Condemning Lethal Force

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has issued a stern condemnation of the Iranian government's use of lethal force against its own citizens, labeling the violence as "shocking" and "out of proportion." In a diplomatic escalation, Berlin summoned the Iranian ambassador to demand an immediate halt to the bloodshed and full respect for the rights of peaceful protesters. While acknowledging the political instability, Merz focused his sharpest criticism on the humanitarian crisis, stating that a government relying on such brutality has lost its moral legitimacy. He has also aligned with French and British leaders in a joint statement, reminding Tehran of its "responsibility to protect" its population and allow for freedom of expression without fear of reprisal

Crimes Against Humanity in Iran Protests 2026