Victim Accounts: Siavash Mansourinejad, Shot and Killed by Security Forces in Mehrshahr, Karaj

A source close to the Mansourinejad family told IHRNGO that Siavash, a university student who lived in Karaj with his mother and brother, had recently become engaged and was preparing to start his married life.

The source said: “On the evening of 9 January 2026, following calls for protests, Siavash took part in gatherings in the Mehrshahr district of Karaj. At around 9 pm, while the area’s electricity had been cut, security forces opened fire on protesters with live ammunition. A bullet fired from the front struck Siavash in the heart. The shot was fired from a sniper weapon.”

According to the source, people present at the scene first transferred Siavash’s body to a safe location and then took it to the family home. The family kept his body with them until the morning before handing it over to Behesht-e Sakineh cemetery in Karaj to obtain a burial permit. The source emphasised that “the family attempted to prevent Siavash’s body from falling into the hands of security forces. The burial was conducted privately and without public notice, attended solely by close family. Owing to security pressures, no public ceremony took place in Karaj. A small, discreet service was held instead in a different city, with attendance restricted to a limited number of immediate relatives.”

The source added that some members of the family have faced threats and security pressure following Siavash’s killing.