Hossein Heydari

Hossein Heydari, a vibrant 26-year-old from Shiraz, was killed on December 11, 2019, after enduring 25 days of pain from a gunshot wound. Born on June 29, 1993, Hossein was the son of Nasser, had one sister and was a member of the Qashqai Turk tribe’s Darreh Shouri Clan.

Following the November 2019 protests sparked by a sharp increase in gasoline prices (known as the “Bloody Aban” uprising), he joined the demonstrations to voice his discontent.

On 25 November, during a protest in Shiraz’s Vali-e Asr district, government forces launched an unprovoked and brutal assault on unarmed demonstrators, using live ammunition and snipers stationed on rooftops. Hossein was struck by a bullet, collapsing in the street. Bystanders rushed him to the hospital, but under orders from security forces, hospitals were instructed to turn away anyone with bullet injuries. Denied care, Hossein was taken home, where he deteriorated until he succumbed to his wounds 25 days later on December 11, 2019.

Hossein was buried five days later, on December 16, in Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery, Ghasr-e Qomshah, Shiraz. His family filed a complaint, seeking justice for his murder, but as in so many cases, the regime rejected their request. Hossein’s life and untimely death represent countless Iranians who have sacrificed everything in the pursuit of freedom, justice, and democracy.

The memory of Hossein Heydari, and thousands like him, endures, as Iranians remember those lost and continue the struggle for a free and just Iran. The Iranian people are increasingly aware of the need for a government free from corruption, with fair laws that protect citizens from such persecution and brutality.

Hossein’s tragic story reflects the larger call for justice in Iran and the cease of IRGC’s murders within and outside Iran, when countless lives have been sacrificed in pursuit of freedom and accountability.