Civil activist Hashem Eidani shot dead in extrajudicial attack by Iranian security forces in Ahvaz

Hengaw – Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Hashem Eidani, a 65-year-old Arab civil activist from Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, was killed during an armed raid carried out by Iranian security forces. His body has been seized, and authorities are refusing to hand it over to his family.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on Sunday, October 26, 2025, Iranian security agents pursued and killed Eidani, a resident of Khebineh village in central Ahvaz.

The Karun Human Rights Organization reported that security forces surrounded Eidani’s home, prompting him to flee toward the Karun River. He was shot in the hand and later killed by a fatal shot fired by the agents.

Other accounts suggest that Eidani drowned in the river as a result of gunfire and pressure from the security forces. Meanwhile, state media outlets have published a distorted version of events, claiming that he drowned accidentally.

In an apparent attempt to justify the killing, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s state broadcaster (IRIB) described Hashem Eidani as having “separatist tendencies” — a label frequently used by Iranian authorities to rationalize violent crackdowns and mobilize hardline support.

At present, security institutions continue to withhold Eidani’s body and have threatened his family against holding a funeral or memorial ceremony.