Seven more children killed in Iran protests, bringing the total to at least 21
Hengaw – Saturday, January 17, 2026
Seven additional children have been confirmed killed by direct gunfire from Iranian government forces during recent anti-government protests across multiple cities. With these newly documented cases, the total number of children killed in the ongoing unrest has risen to at least 21.
According to information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the children were killed in Marvdasht, Imamshahr, and Qir and Karzin in Fars Province, as well as Kermanshah, Isfahan, and Karaj. The victims have been identified as Amir Mohammad Arbabpouri and Melina Asadi, two Kurdish children; Sam Afshari and Abolfazl Heydari-Moslou, two Turkish children; Mohammad Ghasem-Rousta, a child of Lor ethnicity; and two other children, Mehrab Golestani and Amir Salar Bahmaninejad.
Mehrab Golestani, a 17-year-old student from Kerman and a resident of Isfahan, was shot and killed on Friday evening, January 9, 2026, during protests in the city. He was a gifted student preparing to take the national university entrance exam. His body was returned to his family six days later and buried on Thursday, January 15, 2026. Due to pressure and restrictions imposed by security authorities, his family was prevented from holding any funeral ceremony.
On the same day, Amir Salar Bahmaninejad, a 16-year-old from Isfahan, was fatally shot outside the Jaber Ansari Metro Station. He was struck in the heart by live ammunition fired by Iranian government forces and died after being transferred to Dr. Gharazi Hospital. His body was handed over to his family one week later and buried without any funeral ceremony, similar to many other victims.
Also on Thursday, January 8, Sam Afshari, a 17-year-old computer student and provincial swimming champion originally from Zanjan and residing in Karaj, was shot at close range by Iranian government forces in the Azimiyeh district. He suffered severe head injuries and died after being transferred to hospital.
His father, Parviz Afshari, confirmed the killing in an interview with Hengaw and stated that authorities returned his son’s body only after demanding 180 million tomans as a “bullet fee.” The family was also threatened and warned not to publicize Sam’s death or hold any public memorial.
Parviz Afshari, who lives in Zontofen in Bavaria, Germany, is currently hospitalized due to the psychological trauma caused by his son’s killing. He added that only one week had passed since Sam’s 17th birthday. Sam was studying information technology, held a B1 German language certificate, and was planning to move to Germany next year to continue his education.
Abolfazl Heydari-Moslou, a 17-year-old Turkish child from Qir and Karzin, was also killed during protests in his hometown. Witnesses reported that Iranian government forces fired tear gas and live ammunition from rooftops toward demonstrators, injuring dozens of civilians.
In Kermanshah (Kermashan), Melina Asadi, a 3-year-old Kurdish child, was killed by direct gunfire from Iranian government forces on Taq-e Bostan Boulevard. Immediately afterward, state-affiliated media blamed protesters for her death and forced her family to confirm this narrative on camera.
Another Kurdish child, Amir Mohammad Arbabpouri, 17, from the village of Beryeh Sofla near Harsin, was killed by direct fire from Iranian government forces in the Shahrak Moallem district of Kermanshah on the same day. Authorities attempted to pressure the family to claim he had been killed by protesters, but the family refused.
His body was ultimately released to the family only after they paid 700 million tomans, and he was buried in his hometown on January 10, 2026.
Mohammad Ghasem-Rousta, a 14-year-old child of Lor ethnicity from Marvdasht, was killed by Iranian government forces on Friday, January 2, 2026. His body was buried several days later under heavy security pressure, alongside another protest victim, Mansour Mokhtari, without any official funeral ceremony.
According to the Statistics and Documentation Center of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, with these newly verified cases, the number of children killed in the recent protests across Iran has now reached at least 21.
