A new wave of widespread anti-government protests, which began on 28 December 2025 and continues to this day, has seen 11 Kurdish citizens killed by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s military and security forces in the cities of Kuhdasht and Nurabad-e Delfan in Lorestan Province, Malekshahi in Ilam Province, and Kermanshah and Harsin in Kermanshah Province.
Dozens of other protesters have also been injured after being shot with live ammunition and pellet guns or beaten with batons by security forces.
According to interviews conducted by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) with eyewitnesses, as well as a review of images and videos from protests in these cities, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces killed the 11 protesters by firing live ammunition. After the deaths, the IRGC pressured the victims’ families during the handover of the bodies, forcing them to claim that their loved ones had been killed by protesters or to identify them as members of the Basij force.
After the protests began, the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Organisation summoned some civil rights activists, former political prisoners and dadkhah families (a Persian term used for victims’ relatives and survivors seeking truth and justice) in various cities across Kurdistan, threatening them with consequences if they took part in any gatherings or shared any content about the protests on social media.
On 3 January 2026, protests in Malekshahi, Ilam province, were met with a bloody crackdown by IRGC forces, after which demonstrations spread to other cities across the province. When injured protesters were taken to Khomeini Hospital in Ilam, Special Force units raided the hospital for two consecutive nights in an attempt to arrest the wounded, disrupting medical treatment for both injured protesters and other patients. The forces also fired tear gas at gatherings of the injured protesters’ families in the hospital courtyard and beat and arrested a number of citizens.
Based on an assessment of reports and published images and videos, as well as interviews with informed sources and eyewitnesses, widespread protests have taken place since the start of the unrest in Kuhdasht and Nurabad-e Delfan in Lorestan Province; Darreh Shahr, Dehloran, Abdanan, Sarableh, Karzan and Malekshahi in Ilam Province; Harsin, Kermanshah, Sonqor, Eslamabad-e Gharb and Gilan-e Gharb in Kermanshah Province; and Bojnurd in North Khorasan Province.
The report goes on to set out the names and details of those killed and the circumstances of their deaths, as well as a list of people arrested during the protests, as confirmed by the KHRN.
Protesters killed by military and security forces
Amir-Hesam Khodayari-Fard, a 22-year-old Yarsani citizen from Kuhdasht, was killed on 31 December 2025 after being shot by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces during the anti-government protests in the city. The IRGC issued a statement describing him as a member of its Basij force, but his father rejected this claim during his funeral on 2 January 2026, stating that his son had been killed by security forces. His family removed the banner placed by the IRGC in front of their house, and mourners present at the ceremony expelled IRGC forces from the burial site.
Ahad Ebrahimpour Abdoli, a 34-year-old worker from Nurabad-e Delfan, was killed on 1 January 2026 during anti-government protests on Azadi Boulevard in the city, after being shot in the chest by IRGC forces. Security forces transferred his body to Ibn-e Sina Hospital in Nurabad and summoned his family, pressuring them not to inform the media or hold a funeral ceremony. On 3 January, his body was handed over to the family, and the funeral was attended by a large crowd.
Ali Azizi, from Harsin, was killed on 2 January 2026 after being shot by IRGC’s Basij forces during the anti-government protests in the city. State-affiliated media also attempted, as in previous cases, to present him as a Basij member and to attribute his death to the protesters, but eyewitnesses stated that he had been among the protesters and died as a result of gunfire by security forces. According to people close to Azizi, his father, under pressure and threats from IRGC forces, was forced to publish a video on the matter. The funeral was also held two days later, on 4 January, in a government-managed ceremony under IRGC control.
Reza Kadivarian and Rasoul Kadivarian, two Yarsani brothers from Kermanshah, were wounded on 3 January 2026 on Artesh Street, in the Jafarabad neighbourhood of the city, during the anti-government protests, after being shot with live ammunition by armed security forces. Rasoul died after being transferred to Taleghani Hospital, and Reza was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit in a coma. On the afternoon of 4 January 2026, Reza also died due to the severity of his injuries.
The bodies of the two citizens were buried in the public cemetery of Kermanshah under the presence of security forces. According to initial information, Rasoul was 17 years old and Reza 20 years old at the time of their deaths, and both were workers. However, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has so far not been able to independently verify the exact ages of the two brothers.
Reza Ghanbari, a 16-year-old child labourer from Kermanshah, was killed during anti-government protests on Artesh Street in the Jafarabad neighbourhood of the city on 3 January 2026, after IRGC forces opened fire on protesters, striking him with live ammunition in the back and side. Officers present at the scene took the child’s blood-soaked body away with them and, after informing the family, pressured and threatened them to declare their son a member of the Basij and to attribute his death to protesters. The family refused to comply. Ghanbari’s funeral was held on 5 January 2026 in the village of Jabbarabad-e Sofla, in the Bilavar district of Kermanshah County, and was attended by a large crowd, amid pressure from security forces.
Latif Karimi, Reza Azimzadeh and Mehdi Emamipour, three residents of Malekshahi, were killed on 3 January 2026 during anti-government protests in the city after IRGC forces stationed at a Basij base opened fire with live ammunition. On the same day, the IRGC issued a statement claiming that one of its members, Latif Karimi, had been killed by protesters. However, Karimi’s relatives and eyewitnesses rejected the claim, saying that video footage of the shooting shows him among the protesters and being carried to an ambulance by members of the public after he was shot. They also said that although Karimi was a retired military employee, he had taken part in the protests. The funeral of the three men was held on 4 January 2026 and was attended by a large crowd, with anti-government slogans chanted.
Fares (Mohsen) Agha-Mohammadi, from Malekshahi, was shot in the head on 3 January 2026 during the anti-government protests in the city. He was transferred to the intensive care unit of Khomeini Hospital in Ilam and was admitted with a low level of consciousness. On the afternoon of 5 January 2026, after three days in hospital, he passed away due to the severity of his injuries. His funeral was held on the same day, with anti-government slogans being chanted.
Mohammadreza Karami, a boxer, was seriously wounded by live ammunition fired by IRGC forces during the anti-government protests in the city of Malekshahi on 3 January 2026 and was transferred to the intensive care unit of Khomeini Hospital in Ilam. After four days in hospital, he died on 5 January due to the severity of his injuries. It is reported that Karami was 16 years old, but the KHRN has so far not been able to verify his exact age. His funeral was held on 5 January and was attended by a large crowd chanting anti-government slogans.
Protest-related arrests by security forces
Since the protests began, security forces have arrested hundreds of Kurdish citizens in cities across Ilam, Kermanshah, Lorestan, Kurdistan, Tehran and North Khorasan provinces.
The KHRN has so far documented the arrest of more than 200 people, including civil rights activists, former political prisoners, a university assistant professor, athletes and others in the provinces of Tehran, Ilam, Kermanshah, Lorestan, Kurdistan and North Khorasan. However, available assessments suggest the true number of detainees is higher. A heightened security environment and pressure by security bodies on families to prevent information from being shared have made it impossible to obtain full details of all those detained.
At least 20 detainees are children between the ages of 13 and 17 in the provinces of Ilam, Kermanshah, and Kurdistan. Separately, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Union has reported that at least 100 school-age children were arrested during protests in the city of Harsin, in Kermanshah Province.