No change
Amid nationwide protests, Iranian security forces have been accused of killing young demonstrators — including 23‑year‑old fashion student Rubina Aminian, reportedly shot in the head and buried roadside, and 19‑year‑old amateur boxer Sepehr Ebrahimi — while distraught families say they have been forced to search overcrowded morgues and retrieve bodies piled on top of one another. Human Rights Activists News Agency reported at least 6,126 killed (plus 214 government‑affiliated forces and 49 civilians) with thousands more deaths under investigation, family sources told CBS they fear 12,000–20,000 dead, and relatives have publicly blamed Iran’s leaders and security services for the killings.
📌 Key Facts
- Rubina Aminian, a 23‑year‑old fashion student in Tehran, is reported killed; her aunt, Hilala Noori, described her as “full of life,” said she protested for women’s rights and democracy, and explicitly blamed Supreme Leader Khamenei, the IRGC and the Islamic Republic for the killing.
- Aminian’s mother reportedly searched a Tehran morgue, seeing “hundreds” of bodies of young people shot in the head or neck piled together; when authorities refused to release Rubina’s body, the mother is said to have forced her way into the morgue, taken her 40‑kg daughter and carried the body back toward Kermanshah.
- Nineteen‑year‑old amateur boxer Sepehr Ebrahimi is reported to have been shot and killed by Iranian security forces on Jan. 11 in the Andisheh area near Tehran; a viral video shows his father searching a warehouse full of black body bags, cursing Ayatollah Khamenei and accusing the regime of killing many youths.
- Reported protest‑related death tolls vary widely: the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) is cited reporting at least 6,126 killed (plus 214 government‑affiliated forces and 49 civilians) with more than 17,000 additional deaths still under investigation, while family sources speaking to CBS said at least 12,000—and possibly up to 20,000—people are feared dead after more than two weeks of protests.
- Former President Donald Trump is reported to have said he heard on “good authority” that the killing is “stopping.”
- There is renewed attention on imprisoned Iranian boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, reportedly on death row over alleged ties to the MEK, and commentators have recalled the recent execution of wrestler Navid Afkari as a relevant precedent.
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 27, 2026
2:34 AM
Iranian security forces gun down amateur boxer as father searches morgues for missing son: source
New information:
- Identifies 19‑year‑old amateur boxer Sepehr Ebrahimi as having been shot and killed by Iranian security forces on Jan. 11 in the Andisheh area near Tehran during the current protest wave.
- Describes viral video showing Ebrahimi’s father searching a warehouse full of black body bags for his son, cursing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and accusing the regime of killing many youths.
- Updates the protest‑related death toll from Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) to at least 6,126 killed, plus 214 government‑affiliated forces and 49 civilians, with more than 17,000 additional deaths still under investigation.
- Highlights renewed attention to imprisoned Iranian boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, reportedly on death row for alleged ties to the MEK, and recalls the execution of wrestler Navid Afkari as a precedent.
January 17, 2026
January 14, 2026
10:16 PM
Iranian mom searched morgue, sifting through hundreds of bodies, to find her daughter
New information:
- Identifies Rubina Aminian as a 23‑year‑old fashion student in Tehran whose aunt describes her as 'full of life' with big future goals.
- Provides a detailed account of her mother’s search at a Tehran morgue, where she reportedly saw 'hundreds' of bodies of young people shot in the head or neck piled on top of one another.
- Reports that Aminian’s mother had to physically force her way into the morgue, 'steal' her daughter’s 40‑kg body and carry it back toward Kermanshah because authorities refused release.
- Includes on‑record quotes from aunt Hilala Noori explicitly blaming Khamenei, the IRGC and the Islamic Republic for the killing and describing her niece’s motives for protesting.
- Adds that family sources told CBS at least 12,000—and possibly up to 20,000—people are now feared dead in Iran after more than two weeks of protests, and notes that Trump claims to have heard on 'good authority' that the killing is 'stopping.'
January 13, 2026