Identities of eleven more people killed in Markazi Province confirmed

Hengaw – Friday, January 23, 2026

The identities of eleven people killed during recent protests in Iran’s Markazi Province have been confirmed following a week-long verification process. The victims — Ahmad Hashemi, Matin Moshtaghi, Iman Behdari, Saeed Taqvaei, Abolfazl Beikmohammadi, Mohammadreza Najafi, Jaber Salehi, Hassan Ghaderi, Mohammad Ranjbar, Mohammad Soltanifar, and Behnam Kashani — were all fatally shot by Iranian government forces during demonstrations in the cities of Arak, Shazand, and Mahallat.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Ahmad Hashemi, a 22-year-old resident of Nimvar, a town in Mahallat County, died on Sunday, January 12, 2026, after spending three days in hospital. Sources said he was shot with live ammunition on the evening of Friday, January 10, sustaining severe injuries to his liver and spleen.

That same night, Matin Moshtaghi, Iman Behdari, Saeed Taqvaei, and Abolfazl Beikmohammadi were killed by direct gunfire from government forces during protests in Arak. The body of Iman Behdari was buried on Sunday, January 12, in his hometown of Khomein.

Meanwhile, Mohammadreza Najafi, Jaber Salehi, and Hassan Ghaderi were killed in Shazand during demonstrations that same evening. Mohammadreza Najafi, a 27-year-old Lor man and the only son of his family, was shot at close range by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces near the Shazand waterfall. He worked as a heavy vehicle driver and, according to relatives, had a strong passion for motorcycling. His father is a disabled veteran of the Iran–Iraq war.

Jaber Salehi, a resident of Shazand, was killed by a direct gunshot wound to the abdomen. Sources said his burial was conducted under intimidation and coercion, at 5 a.m., without public notification or the presence of local residents. Hassan Ghaderi, also from Shazand, was fatally shot by government forces. Despite sustaining critical injuries, he managed to reach his home but collapsed and died at his doorstep.

Earlier that night, Mohammad Ranjbar, a 32-year-old Turkish man from Arak, was shot dead during protests in the city.

In Mahallat, two more people, including a child, were killed. Mohammad Soltanifar, a 16-year-old boy, was shot and killed by government forces near the Intelligence Office building on Education Alley. At the same location, Behnam Kashani, also from Mahallat, was shot in the head with a handgun by government forces stationed inside the Intelligence Office building and died at the scene.