Mohammad Riyahi and Siavash Bahrami

Mohammad Riyahi and Siavash Bahrami, both young men from Isfahan Province, were close friends who tragically lost their lives on 23 September 2022, after being pursued by IRGC forces.

Mohammad, born in 2002 and raised in a religious family in the Fereydan neighborhood, was 20 years old and had a younger brother, Amir, aged 11. Siavash, also 20, was born on 17 June 2002, the son of Davood, with a younger brother, Sam. He was a mechanic preparing for university exams. Both were passionate about boxing, music, and rap and had been inseparable since elementary school.

Following the Woman-Life-Freedom protests of September 2022, Mohammad and Siavash joined fellow citizens in demonstrations for freedom. They brought homemade Molotov cocktails to confront security forces, who were armed with machine guns and military equipment. On 22 September 2022 at 4 a.m. the IRGC identified the two, while they were on a motorcycle leaving their safe location, they were pursued by IRGC vehicles alerted by an informant. As they neared Kharazi Highway, Mohammad managed to send an SOS text to his father, saying, “Dad, help! SOS, PLZ! We are being chased, help….!”

Fifteen minutes later, IRGC agents closed in on them, forcing or ramming their motorcycle, leading to a crash. The two friends were thrown into the air from the bike, landing on the sidewalk, the IRGC agents then left them severely injured resulting in them bleeding to death. Mohammad’s younger brother, Amir, who had joined them in protests that day, also suffered severe injuries, falling into a coma. When Mohammad’s father arrived, both Mohammad and Siavash had died. Though he demanded access to the security camera footage of the area, authorities dismissed his request, claiming it was a mere motorcycle accident.

Amir emerged from his coma in November with a spinal injury that left him wheelchair-bound. Despite his critical condition, security agents pressured him to remain silent, issuing severe threats that led him to cut off communication with family for safety. Mohammad’s father, seeking justice, was met with intimidation; security agents warned him, “Do you want this to happen to the rest of your family?” Authorities claimed camera footage from that area was inexplicably unavailable, further suppressing any evidence of wrongdoing.

Siavash was laid to rest in Albak Cemetery in Fereydan County, Isfahan Province, while Mohammad’s burial took place in Noghan Cemetery in Fereydan. Since the Woman-Life-Freedom movement, IRGC brutality and impunity have escalated, leaving these deaths unresolved and allowing such injustices to continue without accountability. In Mohammad and Siavash’s memory, the Iranian people persist in their call for justice and the establishment of a government grounded in fairness, accountability, and respect for human rights.