Rouhollah Mahdian

Rouhollah Mahdian was a middle-aged family man, married with two children, living in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city and an important religious center. On January 8, 2026, he took part in demonstrations in the Haft-e Tir district, a busy residential and commercial area, alongside friends. He went missing amid confrontations with security forces. His family searched hospitals, detention centers, and cemeteries for five days before finding his body at Behesht-e Reza cemetery. His body revealed both a gunshot wound to the lower back and evidence of heavy beating, suggesting he was targeted or severely mistreated before death. The family later buried him on January 13. Authorities reportedly pressured his family to remain silent about his death, while the Martyrs Foundation (Bonyad-e Shahid) contacted his mother, stating that “Your son has become a martyr.”