Arian Nabati killed by direct fire during memorial ceremony in Mashhad; authorities claim “accident”

Hengaw – Saturday, February 28, 2026

Arian Nabati, an 18-year-old resident of Mashhad, was killed by direct fire from Iranian authorities during a memorial ceremony marking the fortieth day of slain protesters in the city. Government institutions have since claimed that his death was the result of an “accident.”

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, security forces stormed the gathering as the ceremony was being held. Nabati was attempting to leave the area on a motorcycle with several friends when he was directly targeted by gunfire and fatally shot.

A source close to the family told Hengaw that after two days without any information about his whereabouts, the family was contacted and instructed to go to a hospital in Mashhad to identify his body. When they arrived, officials told them that Nabati had died in a traffic accident and initially refused to allow them to view the body. After the family insisted, they were permitted to see him and observed clear signs of three gunshot wounds. The bullets had struck his heart, head, and side.

The source added that Iranian authorities pressured and threatened the family, conditioning the release of his body on their agreement not to speak publicly and to state that the cause of death was an “accident.”

Nabati was buried under tight security measures, without a public funeral ceremony and with only a limited number of family members present.
Hengaw has also learned that the family was not permitted to hold a public mourning ceremony.