ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

JULY 8, 2026 15:07

Updated: JULY 8, 2026 17:08

According to statements from his relatives given to this publication on the six-month anniversary of the January 8-9 crackdown, Taha Naderi, 18, was fatally shot by Iranian security forces near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters in Shahreza, close to Isfahan.

Relatives explained that a live round cut a major artery in his left leg, which led to repeated operations and later amputation of the limb. Naderi passed away on January 10 after physicians at multiple hospitals could not halt the bleeding, the family stated.

Family describes shooting near IRGC headquarters

Family testimony indicates Naderi joined a protest on Thursday, January 8, when security personnel discharged tear gas, smoke grenades, shotgun pellets, and live rounds into the gathering.

Naderi and two relatives had advanced roughly 100 meters into the demonstration when tear gas and smoke grenades prompted people to scatter in various directions, according to the family. Naderi and one companion sheltered against the wall of the IRGC building.

"At that instant, security forces began firing shotgun pellets and live military rounds," a family member recounted. "Witnesses stated several individuals died immediately before their eyes."

The relative noted Naderi and his companion were pinned beside the wall and hurled stones at the security forces to divert attention and allow an escape. Testimony shows the companion was hit by shotgun pellets while a live round struck Naderi's left leg and severed a major artery.

The family said Naderi was rushed to the closest hospital, where doctors revived him twice yet failed to control the bleeding. He was moved to Amir al-Momenin Hospital for several operations and later taken to Al-Zahra Hospital in Isfahan for another emergency procedure.

Multiple operations and amputation

Physicians informed the family on Saturday, January 10, that Naderi's leg required amputation because circulation had ceased, according to the testimony. The family added he suffered another cardiac arrest during dialysis and was returned to the operating room.

"In the end, Taha's amputated leg was carried past my parents in full view," the family member said. "My mother and father both fainted, and 15 minutes later we learned he had not survived and had died."

According to the family, relatives tried on Monday, January 12, to arrange Naderi's burial at Bagh-e Rezvan, Isfahan's main cemetery. Officials informed them overcrowding and administrative steps would postpone release of the body by two or three days.

"Concerned the authorities might withhold his body, we visited every day," the family member said.

The family said Naderi's body was finally released on Friday afternoon and returned to Shahreza.

Authorities changed records and limited funeral, family says

According to the testimony, two relatives in Shahreza had to sign a statement declaring Naderi had not joined the demonstrations. The family also said his medical records wrongly listed his injuries as resulting from "street fighting and a knife wound" instead of gunfire.

"We also had to sign two or three additional declarations limiting the funeral to no more than 20 people," the relative said, noting the family was "strictly forbidden from holding any mourning ceremonies."

Iran's January crackdown

Apart from the family account, coverage of the January unrest showed demonstrations had spread across Iran by January 8 after protests started on December 28 amid economic hardship and wider opposition to the Islamic Republic.

Iranian authorities enforced an internet blackout during the unrest, while rights groups accused security forces of shooting at demonstrators and conducting mass arrests.

The total number of people killed on January 8 and 9 remains disputed and has not been independently verified. A hospital-based estimate released later in January suggested as many as 30,000 people may have died during the two-day crackdown, while the Iranian government reported a much lower figure of about 3,000.

Other reports from Iran have outlined a wider pattern in which authorities pressured victims' families to alter death records, accept official explanations for the killings, or stay silent about the circumstances. Some families were reportedly threatened with withholding or secret burial of victims' bodies.

Events held from July 4 through July 9 marked six months since the demonstrations and killings, with participants honoring those lost during the crackdown. In Naderi's case, his relatives said they were denied the chance to mourn him publicly and were "strictly forbidden from holding any mourning ceremonies."