Iranian forces kill Taha Safari, 15, during protests in Azna
Hengaw – Monday, January 5, 2026
Taha Safari, a 15-year-old Lor student originally from Kamfiruz County in Fars Province and a resident of Azna in Lorestan Province, was killed during protests in the city.
According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, his body had not been handed over to his family, and relatives remain unaware of the precise circumstances of his death.
Authorities showed the family a body bearing gunshot wounds to the head and face, identifiable only by his jacket, while pressuring them to register the death as a “traffic accident.”
Hengaw has learned that on Thursday evening, January 1, 2026, Safari was killed during protests in Azna. He was originally from the village of Palangari in Kamfiruz County, Fars Province, and had been living in Azna.
A source close to the family told Hengaw that the teenager was detained by government forces during the protests on Thursday evening and forcibly taken away from the protest site. On Saturday morning, the family was informed by the Khorramabad Intelligence Office that he had been killed.
At the same time as the teenager’s abduction, government forces reportedly raided his mother’s home, subjecting the family to threats and intimidation. Several relatives, including his maternal uncle, were also interrogated and placed under security pressure.
The source added that Safari’s parents are separated. During the school term, he lived with his mother in Azna, while during school holidays he stayed with his father in the village of Palangari in Kamfiruz County, Fars Province.
According to the same source, on Sunday, January 4, security institutions showed the family a body with clear gunshot wounds to the head and face. Due to the severity of the injuries, the face was unrecognizable, and the family identified the body solely by his jacket.
Amid continued threats and pressure, authorities demanded that the family declare the killing a “traffic accident” and bury the body without holding any ceremony or making any public announcement.
Protests were held in Azna on Thursday evening in several locations, including Railway Square, Governorate Square, Azadi Street, and the intersection locally known as “Sangak Crossroads.” Hengaw has previously reported that during these protests, three other individuals, including 15-year-old Mostafa Fallahi, 30-year-old Shayan Asadollahi, and Vahab Mousavi, were shot dead by government forces, while at least 17 others were injured.
