Escalation of state violence: four more civilians shot dead in Khomein by state security, including a child and two women
Hengaw – Saturday, July 19, 2025
A four-year-old child, Raha Sheikhi, was killed alongside her parents, Mohammad-Hossein Sheikhi and Sedigheh Sheikhi, and another female relative, Azam Heydari, after being shot by Iranian armed forces in Khomein, Markazi Province. The unrestrained shootings and arbitrary arrests of civilians have alarmingly intensified over the past month, coinciding with the outbreak of war between Iran and Israel.
According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the shooting occurred on the evening of Thursday, July 17, 2025, when government forces opened fire during an operation in Khomein. All four victims—including young Raha—were killed at the scene.
A media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Republic, without providing further details, claimed that two vehicles carrying this family were targeted by “security forces guarding a military facility.”
The reports also mention that the individuals responsible for the shooting are currently under arrest.
This comes in the wake of another deadly incident on the evening of Monday, June 30, 2025, when two young tourists, Alireza Karbasi and Mehdi Abae’i, were shot and killed by Basij forces.
Over the past month, the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran—particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia—have launched a campaign of intimidation, arrests, and shootings of civilians under the pretext of “combating Mossad.”
Based on statistics recorded by Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center, since the ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced, at least 8 civilians, including a child, have been killed by direct fire from patrol and Basij forces in the cities of Khomein, Hamedan, Sanandaj, and Abadan.
