11-year-old Alireza Jafari killed at checkpoint after IRGC recruitment call involving children
Hengaw – Sunday, March 29, 2026
Alireza Jafari, an 11-year-old child, was killed at a checkpoint in Tehran during airstrikes targeting military centers of the Islamic Republic of Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces. His death comes amid prior warnings by Hengaw regarding calls by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to recruit and deploy children in military and security roles.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Jafari, a fifth-grade student, was killed in recent days while present at a checkpoint in Tehran.
In an interview with the state-affiliated Hamshahri newspaper, the child’s mother stated that due to a “shortage of personnel,” he had been taken to the checkpoint by his father. He was killed in a drone strike while stationed there.
The Basij Teachers Organization also confirmed that the 11-year-old was killed “while on duty” at a checkpoint on Artesh Highway as a result of a drone attack.
His death follows recent statements by Rahim Nadali, cultural and artistic deputy of the IRGC’s Mohammad Rasoulollah Corps in Tehran, who announced the launch of a campaign titled “Defenders of the Homeland Fighters for Iran.” The call explicitly stated that citizens aged 12 and above are eligible to register for participation in “operational, support, logistics, and checkpoint patrol” activities.
Hengaw has described this initiative by the IRGC as a “systematic crime against children,” warning that such recruitment constitutes a clear violation of children’s rights and the instrumental use of minors within military structures.
In response to the killing of this child, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights once again calls on international bodies, including the United Nations and UNICEF, to increase legal and diplomatic pressure to prevent the continuation of this practice and the use of children in military roles.
Under the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, children are recognized as civilians entitled to special protection, and their use in armed conflict is prohibited.
Furthermore, under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the recruitment or use of children under the age of 15 in armed forces or hostilities constitutes a war crime.
