Hengaw confirms identities of ten additional people killed in Gilan and Mazandaran
Hengaw – Thursday, January 22, 2026
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has confirmed the identities of ten additional individuals, including seven Gilaks, who were killed during recent protests in the provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran after being directly shot by Iranian government forces. Their identities were verified one week after their deaths.
The victims have been identified as: Abbas Keshavarz, Matin Khosravi, Mahmoud Farajnia, Mohammad Hajipour, Reza Samieipour, Pouya Khairkhah, Ershad Shahbazi, Hamed Bamdadi (Aliabadi), Yahya-Kia Deliri, and Manouchehr Nikpour.
According to information obtained by Hengaw, Abbas Keshavarz, a Gilak man from Lahijan and father of one child, was fatally shot by government forces during protests in Rasht near Seighalan Square on the evening of Friday, January 9, 2026. His body was later buried in his hometown village of Lafemjan, located in Lahijan County.
On the same night, Matin Khosravi and Mahmoud Farajnia, two Talysh men from Talesh, were shot and killed during protests in the city.
Mohammad Hajipour, a former goalkeeper for Iran’s national beach soccer team and a resident of Shiraz, was killed during protests in Rasht on the evening of Thursday, January 8. According to informed sources, authorities conditioned the release of his body on the family falsely attributing his death to a traffic accident in the official death certificate. Hajipour had recently renewed his contract with Shahin Khoshkbijar Football Club.
During the same period, six additional Gilaks were killed in protests across Lahijan, Rasht, and Chalus: Reza Sami'pour, a film actor and assistant director from Bandar-e Kia Shahr, was killed by gunfire during protests in Rasht.
Pouya Khairkhah, 23, from the village of Ishka near Lahijan, and Ershad Shahbazi, a real estate consultant from Lahijan, were both killed by direct gunfire near Bagh-e Melli Square in Lahijan. According to sources, Shahbazi’s family was forced to conduct his burial secretly at night.
Hamed Bamdadi (Aliabadi), a resident of Rasht and the director of Ezam Company in Rasht, was killed after being shot directly by Iranian government forces during public protests in the city.
Bamdadi was struck by live ammunition in the main artery of his leg, causing severe bleeding. Despite his critical condition, he managed to return home and rang the doorbell. His wife immediately transported him to Pars Hospital, but due to the intensity of blood loss, he died shortly after arrival.
According to informed sources, authorities told his mother, “Leave. We will not transfer your son until we take him out of the grave,” a statement understood as a threat and an attempt to exert psychological pressure on the family.
Yahya-Kia Deliri, a carpenter and father of one from Chalus, was shot in the abdomen while purchasing medicine for his child and later died from his injuries. Manouchehr Nikpour, a real estate agent from Lahijan, was killed by direct gunfire during protests in the city.
