Kurdish man Ako Mohammadi killed by direct gunfire from Iranian forces in Qeshm

Hengaw – Sunday, January 11, 2026 

Ako Mohammadi, a Kurdish resident of  Qeshm, was killed by direct gunfire from Iranian government forces during public protests in the  city.  He  is originally from  Kani Rash village in  Salas -e  Babajani,  Kermanshah Province. 
 
According to information obtained by the Hengaw  Organization for Human Rights, security institutions demanded the payment of one billion tomans in exchange for handing over his body. 

22-year-old  Mohammadi  was  shot dead by government forces during protests on Thursday, January 8, 2026. His body was handed over to his family on Sunday, January 12, after the family was compelled to pay one billion tomans. 

According to  Hengaw  sources, at least 15 people were killed during the protests in Qeshm, including two Kurdish women from Ilam Province. The bodies of those killed have  been  handed over to their families. Hengaw  is continuing efforts to verify the identities of all victims and will publish further details as they become available. 

A source familiar with the case told Hengaw that  Mohammadi’s parents were in Tehran  at the time due to an emergency surgery undergone by his father and were  initially unaware of their son’s death. Relatives from  Kani Rash  traveled to follow up on the status of his body; however, security agencies  refused to release it  and conditioned the handover on payment of one billion tomans. 

Public protests in  Qeshm  drew a large turnout and were met with severe repression, including the use of violence and live ammunition fired directly at demonstrators by Iranian government forces.