Kurdish civilian Kaveh Naseri shot dead by Iranian security forces in Sanandaj
Hengaw – Saturday, May 23, 2026
Kaveh Naseri, a Kurdish civilian from Sanandaj (Sine), was killed after Iranian security forces opened fire on his vehicle during a nighttime pursuit in the city amid the war between Iran, Israel and the United States. Following the shooting, security forces told his family they had mistaken him for an “Israeli” and had therefore targeted his car.
According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Naseri, 35, originally from Sanandaj and residing in Karaj, was killed in the early hours of Sunday, March 29, 2026, after being chased by plainclothes agents affiliated with Iranian security institutions in Sanandaj.
Informed sources said the incident began at approximately 2:30 a.m. in the Chaharbagh neighborhood, where security forces started pursuing a Peugeot vehicle without prior warning. The chase continued toward Kurdistan Boulevard, where forces fired repeated bursts of live ammunition at the car, with around 12 bullets striking the vehicle.
Hengaw has learned that after the car was forced to stop while Naseri was still alive, security forces approached the vehicle and shot him twice in the back of the head, killing him at the scene.
Following the killing, security forces claimed they had opened fire because they suspected Naseri of being a “Zionist,” alleging that ricocheting bullets had struck him. However, evidence, videos obtained by Hengaw, and eyewitness accounts indicate that he was directly shot after the vehicle had already come to a stop.
Naseri’s family spent hours searching hospitals across Sanandaj and contacting relatives and friends before eventually learning of his death at one of the city’s temporary mobile police stations. After several police stations in Sanandaj were destroyed during Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, security forces had reportedly been operating from temporary container units stationed across the city.
According to sources familiar with the case, officers told the family not to search for his body, claiming weapons had been found in his possession and that he had been killed as a result.
People close to Kaveh Naseri have since come under pressure from security institutions to avoid speaking publicly about the killing or sharing information with the media.
Kaveh Naseri had returned from Karaj to his parents’ home in Sanandaj after the outbreak of the war between Iran, Israel and the United States. Sources close to the family said he had been preparing for his engagement and upcoming marriage ceremony at the time of his death.
Sources also told Hengaw that in the months leading up to the incident, Naseri had repeatedly been questioned by security forces over the modified height of his vehicle, and that his car had previously been impounded for several weeks for the same reason. Relatives believe he refused to stop during the pursuit out of fear that the vehicle would once again be confiscated.
