Kurdish man Sadegh Fazlali killed by Iranian forces at Bijar checkpoint amid Iran-Israel-US war

Hengaw – Thursday, June 4, 2026

A Kurdish man from Bijar, identified as Sadegh Fazlali, was shot dead by Iranian government forces at a checkpoint at the entrance to the city during the Iran–U.S.–Israel war, according to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. Hengaw is reporting the case for the first time nearly three months after the incident.

According to Hengaw’s findings, Fazlali was killed in early April 2026 when armed Basij forces stationed at a checkpoint at the entrance to Bijar opened fire on his vehicle. His son-in-law, Habibollah Shirgir, who was accompanying him, was seriously wounded in the shooting.

Sources told Hengaw that Fazlali was struck by multiple bullets in the head, neck, chest and thigh and died from the severity of his injuries. Shirgir, who was seated in the passenger seat, sustained a gunshot wound to the neck.

Hengaw has learned that Fazlali had recently been granted temporary leave from prison. Ahead of the Newroz holidays, he had purchased a toy pistol for one of his nephews. After stopping at the checkpoint, he was holding the plastic toy gun while waiting inside the vehicle. Security forces mistook the toy for a real weapon and opened fire, shooting dozens of rounds at him.

According to informed sources, after the shooting, the forces inspected the object and realized it was a plastic toy gun. When Shirgir protested the killing of Fazlali and his own injury, officers responded, “It’s nothing, take him to the hospital.” The forces then removed the toy gun from the scene before leaving.

After the two men were transferred to a hospital, security measures around the facility were intensified, with dozens of intelligence and law enforcement personnel deployed at the site.

Sources further told Hengaw that following Fazlali’s killing, members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pressured his family to remain silent and publicly attribute his death to Israeli drone strikes. According to the sources, authorities offered compensation and promised benefits through the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs in exchange for the family’s cooperation. The family rejected the proposal.

Hengaw considers the killing of Sadegh Fazlali a case of unlawful use of lethal force by Iranian government forces and raises serious concerns regarding the lack of accountability and subsequent pressure placed on the victim’s family