According to reports received, Aref Nazarpour, a 23-year-old protester and a Bakhtiari citizen originally from Andika County and resident of Qeshm Island, was killed on Thursday, January 8, 2026, after being shot with live ammunition in the chest.
Local sources report that Nazarpour, born in 2001, was targeted by gunfire between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on Thursday night. He had been living in Qeshm for the past four to five years and was working as a vendor.
In addition, informed sources state that efforts have been made to portray his death as that of a “security martyr”, a term typically used by Iranian authorities to refer to members of the Basij or Islamic Republic security forces, raising serious concerns about misrepresentation and concealment of the circumstances surrounding his killing.
The killing of Aref Nazarpour has further intensified concerns over the violent suppression of recent protests and systematic efforts to obscure the truth regarding protest-related deaths.
