.png "Fashion Student Shot During Iran Protests")
The victim, Rubina Aminian, was a fashion student at Shariati College in Tehran. She was reportedly killed after leaving campus and joining protest gatherings on the evening of Thursday, January 8.
According to accounts from those close to the family, the young Kurdish woman was shot at close range from behind, sustaining a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
After learning of her death, her relatives travelled to Tehran in an attempt to identify her remains. Upon arrival, they were confronted with scenes of mass casualties, with numerous bodies of young protesters reportedly killed in recent days. The family was initially denied permission to retrieve her body for burial.
Rubina’s mother described the experience as overwhelming and traumatic, saying she witnessed hundreds of bodies while searching for her daughter.
Those familiar with the situation said the family was left with no choice but to personally sift through the bodies to confirm her identity, exposing them to the scale of violence unleashed during the demonstrations.
The family described Rubina as a vibrant and hopeful young woman with a deep passion for fashion and clothing design, whose future ambitions were cut short by the brutal crackdown.
Although the family eventually succeeded in retrieving her body, they later discovered that security forces had surrounded their home in Marivan, preventing a burial ceremony. As a result, she was laid to rest on a roadside between Kermanshah and Kamyaran.
Rubina’s death is among hundreds of reported fatalities in Tehran since widespread protests erupted, marking one of the deadliest periods in the country’s recent history as demonstrations intensified against the ruling authorities.
Iran has warned that it could attack Israel and United States military bases if former US President Donald Trump authorizes strikes against the country over its violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.
The threat comes as massive crowds of Iranians defied warnings of severe punishment, including the death penalty, to stage nationwide demonstrations on Saturday night, January 10, in what is being described as the largest challenge to the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in years.
Activists fear that hundreds of protesters may have been killed over the past three days as security forces loyal to the regime intensified efforts to suppress the unrest. The protests, which began over soaring inflation and economic hardship, have spread to more than 100 cities across the country.
Despite a nationwide internet blackout, verified videos circulating online show demonstrators occupying streets in Tehran’s Gisha district and clashing with security forces in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
Human rights groups estimate that at least 538 people have been killed since the crackdown began. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the death toll includes 490 protesters and 48 members of the security forces, with warnings that the figures are likely to rise.
The same group reported that more than 10,600 people have been arrested in connection with the protests.
Iranian authorities have not released official casualty figures, while communication restrictions have made independent verification increasingly difficult. Internet monitoring organization NetBlocks reported that the government imposed a near-total internet shutdown on Thursday, January 8, affecting both online services and international phone calls.
Despite the blackout, images and videos have continued to emerge showing protests across multiple cities, including footage of a large fire engulfing a government building in Karaj, near Tehran.
Hospitals across the country are reportedly overwhelmed, with medical facilities described as being in a state of chaos due to the influx of injured protesters and fatalities.
Supreme Leader Khamenei has dismissed the demonstrators as “vandals,” accusing them of acting to please foreign powers, including Donald Trump.
An Iranian social worker who attended a protest in Tehran told international media that the situation quickly turned violent when security forces moved in.
“They fired everything—bullets, tear gas, whatever they had,” she said. “It was absolutely terrifying.”
The unrest marks one of the most intense periods of civil resistance Iran has faced in recent years, as the government struggles to contain growing public anger amid economic decline and political repression.
After learning of her death, her relatives travelled to Tehran in an attempt to identify her remains. Upon arrival, they were confronted with scenes of mass casualties, with numerous bodies of young protesters reportedly killed in recent days. The family was initially denied permission to retrieve her body for burial.
Rubina’s mother described the experience as overwhelming and traumatic, saying she witnessed hundreds of bodies while searching for her daughter.
Those familiar with the situation said the family was left with no choice but to personally sift through the bodies to confirm her identity, exposing them to the scale of violence unleashed during the demonstrations.
The family described Rubina as a vibrant and hopeful young woman with a deep passion for fashion and clothing design, whose future ambitions were cut short by the brutal crackdown.
Although the family eventually succeeded in retrieving her body, they later discovered that security forces had surrounded their home in Marivan, preventing a burial ceremony. As a result, she was laid to rest on a roadside between Kermanshah and Kamyaran.
Rubina’s death is among hundreds of reported fatalities in Tehran since widespread protests erupted, marking one of the deadliest periods in the country’s recent history as demonstrations intensified against the ruling authorities.
Iran has warned that it could attack Israel and United States military bases if former US President Donald Trump authorizes strikes against the country over its violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.
The threat comes as massive crowds of Iranians defied warnings of severe punishment, including the death penalty, to stage nationwide demonstrations on Saturday night, January 10, in what is being described as the largest challenge to the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in years.
Activists fear that hundreds of protesters may have been killed over the past three days as security forces loyal to the regime intensified efforts to suppress the unrest. The protests, which began over soaring inflation and economic hardship, have spread to more than 100 cities across the country.
Despite a nationwide internet blackout, verified videos circulating online show demonstrators occupying streets in Tehran’s Gisha district and clashing with security forces in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
Human rights groups estimate that at least 538 people have been killed since the crackdown began. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the death toll includes 490 protesters and 48 members of the security forces, with warnings that the figures are likely to rise.
The same group reported that more than 10,600 people have been arrested in connection with the protests.
Iranian authorities have not released official casualty figures, while communication restrictions have made independent verification increasingly difficult. Internet monitoring organization NetBlocks reported that the government imposed a near-total internet shutdown on Thursday, January 8, affecting both online services and international phone calls.
Despite the blackout, images and videos have continued to emerge showing protests across multiple cities, including footage of a large fire engulfing a government building in Karaj, near Tehran.
Hospitals across the country are reportedly overwhelmed, with medical facilities described as being in a state of chaos due to the influx of injured protesters and fatalities.
Supreme Leader Khamenei has dismissed the demonstrators as “vandals,” accusing them of acting to please foreign powers, including Donald Trump.
An Iranian social worker who attended a protest in Tehran told international media that the situation quickly turned violent when security forces moved in.
“They fired everything—bullets, tear gas, whatever they had,” she said. “It was absolutely terrifying.”
The unrest marks one of the most intense periods of civil resistance Iran has faced in recent years, as the government struggles to contain growing public anger amid economic decline and political repression.
