Among the hundreds of people killed in Iran's protests is Mahdi Salahshoor, a sculptor and father of two, who was killed by rifle fire during protests in Mashhad on January 8.
The Instagram page of the artist, 51, shows pictures of his work, as well as his two young children, including one from 2020 with the caption “Jana, daddy’s girl", and a similar picture with his son. Another post shows a stone lion sculpture with the caption, “My Iran, my land".
Mr Salahshoor is one of more than 640 people killed during the protests in Iran, figures from a US-based rights group, the Human Rights Activist News Agency, have shown. The toll includes 505 protesters, including nine children, and 133 members of the military and security services.
The protests, which were prompted by an economic crisis but have since grown to encompass political demands, have taken place across all of Iran’s 31 provinces. Rights groups outside the country have reported deaths in relatively small towns, as well as in major urban centres such as the capital Tehran and the city of Mashhad, an important Shiite pilgrimage site.
Suffering from economic strife and living under the Tehran regime's tight controls, Iranians have taken to the streets because they feel increasingly like "they have nothing left to lose", Rebin Rehmani, a board member of the France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network, told The National. "They have taken to the streets and are demanding a change in the status quo."
Internet shutdowns have made it difficult to gather information on the dead. But using open source information and sources outside Iran, The National has been able to detail some stories of the hundreds killed in the past two weeks.
Akram Pirgazi
Human rights organisations described Akram Pirgazi as the first woman to be killed in the protests.
Ms Pirgazi, 40, was hit by “direct fire” to the head and face by government forces during a protest in Nishapur, in north-eastern Iran, in early January, rights groups reported. The mother of two was taken to hospital but died from her injuries, the Norway-based group Hengaw said.
Robina Aminian
Another woman killed was Robina Aminian, 23. Her Instagram profile is filled with videos of the design student testing outfits – a multicoloured co-ordinated set here, a long chintz-printed dress there.
“I couldn’t decide which it’s better with,” she wrote in a caption, as she considered complementary shirt colours. “I love this floral pattern.”
On January 8, the Iranian was shot in the head and killed by security personnel during a protest in Tehran, according to three rights organisations outside the country.
Ms Aminian had joined the anti-government protest after class, the organisations added.
Rebin Moradi
Rebin Moradi, 17, was a promising young footballer and a member of Saipa’s youth team in Tehran. He was shot and killed by security forces during a protest in the capital on January 8, human rights organisations said. His family was unaware of his death, until obtaining information about his fate four days later.
An Instagram account shows videos of the teenager practising his football skills, scoring a goal and posing with his teammates.
Amir Ali Heidari Jafarabadi
Amir Ali Heidari Jafarabadi, also 17, was killed by live fire from security forces last Thursday, during a protest in the western city of Kermanshah, said Hana Human Rights Organisation, which is registered in Switzerland and Canada.
Taha Safari
Taha Safari, 15, was shot and detained during a protest in the city of Azna, in western Iran, on January 1. He later died from his injuries, Iranian rights organisations reported.
According to sources quoted by Hengaw, authorities demanded that the family declare his death a “traffic accident” and bury his body without holding a ceremony or making a public announcement.
Most of the protesters confirmed dead were killed by gunfire from security forces, human rights organisations said. A doctor who treated protesters told the New York-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran that, as of last Thursday, the use of pellet guns to disperse protesters had been replaced by live gunfire.
“I saw that the nature of the injuries and the number of gunshot wounds had changed completely,” said the doctor, who has now left Iran. “The situation was totally different. Shots from close range, injuries leading to death. It was not possible for anyone to give an accurate death toll, whether 1,000, 3,000, or whatever.”
Government supporters
Supporters of the government have also been killed and injured during the demonstrations, often in unclear circumstances. State-owned broadcaster Al Alam reported on Saturday that Farajollah Shushtari, son of a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, was “assassinated” as a result of “armed terrorism” during protests in Mashhad. He carried out activities to “promote the teachings of the Islamic Revolution” in the city, Al Alam added.
The Tasnim news agency also published a public invitation to attend a mass funeral of security forces on Wednesday, describing the dead as “martyrs and victims of the crimes of American Zionist elements". Iranian leaders have claimed the protests, which have led to the destruction of public property, are being directed by Washington.
State broadcaster Irib reported that Ali Akbar Zarei, an 18-year-old member of an IRGC militia known as the Basij, died on Thursday while trying to rescue people from a mosque in rural Tehran province. The report said it was set on fire during "terrorist crimes".
