Young Iranian lives cut short as world welcomed new year
ایران اینترنشنال • • world
Key Points:
- Four individuals from Iran's marginalized Lur ethnic minority—Hessam Khodayarifard, Shayan Asadollahi, Reza Moradi, and Sajjad Valamanesh—were killed by security forces during protests in Kuhdasht, Azna, and Lordegan between December 31, 2025, and January 1, 2026.
- Authorities delayed returning the bodies and pressured families to misrepresent the victims as militia members, while funerals became sites of further repression as mourners chanted anti-government slogans and faced security crackdowns.
- The victims were young men, some still teenagers, who supported their families financially; their deaths highlight the severe impact of the government's violent response on marginalized communities.
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