Killing of Reza Ghanbari

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Killing of Reza Ghanbari
رضا قنبری
Died (aged 17)
Kermanshah, Kermanshah province, Iran

Reza Ghanbari (Persian : رضا قنبری) was a 17-year-old Kurdish minor who was killed during protests in the Jafarabad neighborhood of Kermanshah on 3 January 2026. Security authorities reportedly pressured the family to describe Ghanbari as affiliated with the Basij and to attribute his death to protesters, which the family declined. [1] [2]

Contents

Background

Starting on 28 December 2025, widespread protests erupted across Iran amid a deepening economic crisis and growing public frustration with government corruption, [3] and demands for the end of the regime. [4] [5] The protests were Initially triggered by soaring inflation, skyrocketing food prices, and the Iranian rial's sharp depreciation, [3] but quickly expanded into a broader movement demanding political change and the end of the Islamic Republic, with slogans like "Death to the Dictator", referring to supreme leader Ali Khamenei, [5] and "Long live the Shah", referring to Reza Pahlavi. [6] [7] [8] [5] The demonstrations began in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, and spread to universities and major cities including Isfahan, Shiraz, and Mashhad, [9] drawing students and merchants alike, many of whom cited government corruption, mismanagement, and prioritization of foreign conflicts over domestic needs as major grievances. [10] The economic crisis, worsened by the 2025 conflict with Israel, reimposed UN sanctions, chronic inflation (42.2% in December), [9] and food and health price surges of 50–72%, [9] left merchants struggling to trade and households struggling to survive. Calls for reform grew alongside outrage over energy shortages, water crises, and civil rights abuses, [6] and by early January 2026, dozens of protesters had been arrested, with reports of security forces firing live ammunition directly at demonstrators. [5]

Death

Ghanbari was a 17-year-old Kurdish resident of Kermanshah who was killed during protests in the Jafarabad neighborhood on 3 January 2026 (13 Dey 1404). [1] [2] According to a source cited by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Ghanbari was present at the protests when members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps opened fire on demonstrators on Artesh Street at around 7:00 p.m. He was reportedly shot in the back and side and died at the scene. [1] [2] The source stated that security forces removed his body and that it had not been returned to his family at the time of reporting. [1] [2] A funeral notice issued by the family announced that his burial would take place on 5 January 2026 in the village of Jabbarabad Sofla, in the Bilivar district of Kermanshah. [1] [2] The same source reported that the family was pressured to describe Ghanbari as affiliated with the Basij and to attribute his death to protesters, which they declined. [1] [2] Earlier reports documented the deaths of two brothers, Rasoul and Reza Kadivarion, Kurdish Yarsani residents of Kermanshah, who were killed during protests on the same date and in the same location. [2] [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "جان‌باختن یک نوجوان کورد در کرماشان بر اثر تیراندازی نیروهای سپاه پاسداران". ANF News (in Persian). Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 KHRN (5 January 2026). "KHRN: کرمانشاه؛ کشته‌شدن یک کودک معترض با تیراندازی نیروهای سپاه پاسداران". KHRN (in Persian). Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 Parent, Deepa; Christou, William (31 December 2025). "'We want the mullahs gone': economic crisis sparks biggest protests in Iran since 2022". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  4. "Videos show monarchist, anti-clerical slogans in Hamadan, Arak, Sabzevar". www.iranintl.com. 31 December 2025. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Azizi, Arash (1 January 2026). "Iranians Have Had Enough". The Atlantic. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 Northam, Jackie (31 December 2025). "Protesters take to the streets of Iran as the country's economy collapses". NPR. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  7. "Protesters in Isfahan chant 'death to the dictator'". www.iranintl.com. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  8. "'Iran's future belongs to its youth,' US State Department says". www.iranintl.com. 31 December 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 "Protests erupt in Iran over currency's plunge to record low". AP News. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  10. Iran crisis deepens – protests spread with chants of "death to the dictator". BBC News. 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.