Hengaw identifies seven more victims of protest killings in Chalus, Sari, Lahijan, Gorgan, and Astaneh Ashrafiyeh

Hengaw – Sunday, January 18, 2026

Hengaw has identified seven additional individuals—five of them Gilak—who were killed by direct gunfire from Iranian government forces during recent popular protests in the cities of Chalus and Sari in Mazandaran Province; Lahijan and Astaneh Ashrafiyeh in Gilan Province; and Gorgan in Golestan Province. The victims have been identified as Mehran Rafiei, Shahin Azar-Atash, Mostafa Tabrizi, Houman Sabbagh, Afshin Miyarkiani, Matin Montazerzohour, and Sina Haghshenas.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Shahin Azaratash, a young athlete from Astaneh Ashrafiyeh, was critically wounded by a live bullet fired by government forces on Friday night, January 9, 2026, during protests in the city. He later died from his injuries.
Informed sources reported that due to an intense security presence and unsafe conditions around medical facilities, his family was unable to transfer him to a hospital. He was taken home instead, where he succumbed to severe gunshot wounds.

Houman Sabbagh, 37, a resident of Lahijan and director of the Lahijan Technical Complex, was killed on Thursday, January 8, 2026, during protests on Shishegaran Street. On the same day, Mehran Rafiei, from the village of Zomidan in Lahijan County and a local barber working in the city, was shot dead near Enghelab Square in Lahijan.

Also on that day in Gorgan, Matin Montazerzohour, 32, and Sina Haghshenas, 27—both residents of the city and relatives—were killed by direct gunfire from government forces during protests.

In Sari, Mostafa Tabrizi, a local shopkeeper, was killed by direct gunfire during protests on Farhang Street.

Meanwhile, in Chalus, Afshin Miyarkiani, a taekwondo champion and sports coach, was shot dead during protests near one of the city’s police stations. Sources reported that he was struck by three live bullets and died at the scene.

According to data recorded by Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center, the identities of 39 Gilak individuals killed by direct gunfire from Iranian government forces during the recent protests have so far been verified and published by Hengaw.