Killing of Reza Moradi Abdolvand
Reza Moradi Abdolvand was an 18-year-old citizen from Azna, in Lorestan Province, Iran. He fell into a coma on 1 January 2026 after being shot directly by forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and died on 5 January 2026. He was the sixth civilian to die in Azna during the 2025–2026 Iranian protests.
Moradi Abdolvand, aged 18, worked as an automobile body repair worker. During the four days he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit of Valian Hospital in Aligudarz, authorities allowed only his mother to visit him for a few minutes, while security forces prohibited entry to his hospital room.
Background
Starting on 28 December 2025, widespread protests erupted across Iran amid a deepening economic crisis and growing public frustration with government corruption, and demands for the end of the regime. The protests were Initially triggered by soaring inflation, skyrocketing food prices, and the Iranian rial's sharp depreciation, 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, and "Long live the Shah", referring to Reza Pahlavi. The demonstrations began in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, and spread to universities and major cities including Isfahan, Shiraz, and Mashhad, drawing students and merchants alike, many of whom cited government corruption, mismanagement, and prioritization of foreign conflicts over domestic needs as major grievances. The economic crisis, worsened by the 2025 conflict with Israel, reimposed UN sanctions, chronic inflation, and food and health price surges of 50–72%, 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, and by early January 2026, dozens of protesters had been arrested, with reports of security forces firing live ammunition directly at demonstrators.
Life
Reza Moradi of the Abdolvand tribe was the oldest child in his family, was interested in sports and was 18 years old at his time of death. According to Iran International, the Moradi family's financial situation was difficult, and Reza had dropped out of school to work as an apprentice cleaner and painter,though according to HENGAW he was employed at an automobile body repair shop in Azna, where he lived. On 1 January, 2026, during the 2025-2026 Iranian protests, while standing in front of a police station in the city of Azna in Lorestan province he was shot twice by suppression forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, once in the head, and once in the side. He was transported to Valian Hospital in Aligudarz. Moradi Abdolvand fell into a coma and was admitted into the intensive care unit of the Aligudarz Governors' Hospital. It was reported that during his hospitalization security forces prohibited entry into his hospital room, and allowed his mother to visit him for only several minutes. The reported motivations for his joining the protests were misfortune, poverty, and high prices.
Death
After Moradi Abdolvand's death Islamic Republic authorities seized his body, and despite his family's requests from various institutions, including the police and the Revolutionary Guards, they have refused to return it to. Additionally, Moradi Abdolvand's family was pressured by Islamic Republic authorities into announcing that he belonged to the Basij militia.