IRGC forces kill Seyed Ahmad Esmaili in Bukan, seize his body

Hengaw – Friday, July 31, 2026

Seyed Ahmad Esmaili, a Kurdish man from Mahabad, was killed after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces opened fire on him in Bukan. The forces then seized his body and have refused to return it to his family.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Esmaili was killed on the evening of Tuesday, July 28, 2026, after IRGC forces ambushed him near the dam road at an IRGC checkpoint on the Bukan–Shahin Dezh road.

Esmaili was riding a motorcycle when IRGC forces stationed at the checkpoint opened direct fire, killing him at the scene.

After killing Esmaili, IRGC forces confiscated his body and removed it from the scene. They have refused to hand it over to his family.

Notably, on Wednesday, the IRGC's Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shohada Headquarters issued a statement claiming its forces had killed a "terrorist operative" riding a motorcycle in Bukan. The statement did not identify the individual, who Hengaw has confirmed was Seyed Ahmad Esmaili.