Sohrab Aarabi

Their life

Sohrab Aarabi was a 19-year-old Iranian university student from a middle-class family who became a symbol of hope and resistance during the 2009 Green Movement. Passionate about freedom, democracy, and human rights, Sohrab joined the wave of protests that swept Iran after the controversial presidential election. His commitment to justice, particularly for youth and women, reflected the aspirations of a generation longing for reform. His tragic death and disappearance brought international attention to the violent suppression of dissent in Iran.

Full Name: Sohrab Aarabi (also spelled Arabi)
Age at Death: 19
Nationality: Iranian
Occupation: University Student, Pro-democracy Activist
Date of Disappearance: June 15, 2009
Date Body Was Returned: July 2009 (exact date unclear)
Location of Incident: Tehran, Iran
Cause of Death (Short): Gunshot wounds during 2009 post-election protests
Cause of Death (Expanded):
Sohrab was reportedly shot during mass protests in Tehran against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Official reports said he died from a bullet to the heart, though some sources indicated two gunshot wounds—one to the head and one below the heart. His body was handed over to the family weeks after his disappearance, under unclear and deeply disturbing circumstances.

How they died

Death in 2009 Iranian election protests

Additional context

protest against the disputed reelection of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Sohrab Aarabi, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources