IRAN - Mahsa Dezfulian Kermanshahi

IRAN - Victim Accounts: Why Mahsa Dezfulian’s Family Kept Her Body at Home Overnight

February 7, 2026:

February 7, 2026 - IRAN. Victim Accounts: Why Mahsa Dezfulian’s Family Kept Her Body at Home Overnight

In an interview with a relative of Mahsa Dezfulian Kermanshahi, IHR has obtained details regarding the killing of the 39-year-old protester.

Dr Mahsa Dezfulian Kermanshahi was shot dead on 9 January 2026 in Fardis, Karaj, after being targeted with live ammunition. Her family kept her body at home overnight to prevent it from being taken by security forces.

A relative of Mahsa Dezfulian told IHR: “On 8 January, Mahsa travelled to Fardis to visit her mother-in-law, who was also her aunt. On 9 January, she joined a group participating in the protests. While her friends urged her to return home, Mahsa asked them to stay on the street for a few more minutes. At that exact moment, she collapsed in front of those close to her. At first, they thought she had fainted, but when they saw the bleeding, they realised she had been shot.”

The source said that Mahsa’s companions took her to a hospital in Karaj, where they were informed that she had died; “To prevent Mahsa’s body from falling into the hands of security forces, and following advice from medical staff, they exited the hospital through a rear entrance and transferred her blood-covered body to her aunt’s home. Approximately fifteen hours later, her body was moved to the family home in Tehran.”

According to the source, family members who kept Mahsa’s body on ice overnight suffered severe physical and psychological distress; “Mahsa’s mother developed a heart condition and was taken to hospital. The following morning, the family were forced to accept the presence of police officers in their home and to agree to the transfer of Mahsa’s body to the Legal Medicine Organisation in Kahrizak in order to obtain a death certificate and burial permit. After viewing approximately 1,700 images of deceased individuals on monitors, the family identified Mahsa’s body and received it.”

The source added that even after Mahsa was identified at Kahrizak, numerous families were still waiting for the names of their loved ones to appear on the screens.

Mahsa’s relatives insisted on burying her at a cemetery in Farahzad, Tehran. However, according to the family, cemetery staff refused to accept her body after learning that she had been killed by gunfire. Ultimately, Mahsa Dezfulian Kermanshahi was buried at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery under a heavy security presence, including plainclothes agents.

The source emphasised the presence of numerous surveillance cameras and groups of plainclothes agents stationed throughout Behesht-e Zahra. Mahsa was described, by the relative, as a 39-year-old married woman who cared deeply about freedom in Iran and the well-being of the population, particularly young people.

According to the relative, the Martyrs Foundation and Veterans contacted the family to request that Mahsa’s name be registered among those officially recognised as “martyrs” of the Islamic Republic. The Dezfulian family rejected the request.“She was a dentist who ran a dental clinic in Tehran and had a relatively stable financial situation. Nevertheless, in protest against the policies of the Islamic Republic, the country’s political situation and the worsening living conditions of the population, she took to the streets.”

The source close to the family added: “Mahsa worked tirelessly to achieve her aspirations. In 2007, she survived a severe traffic accident on the Hamadan road in what many considered a miracle and underwent several major surgeries on her eyes and face. Despite this, she never abandoned her goals and struggled for years to realise them. Yet, at a time when she was at the height of her professional success and beginning to reap the rewards of years of perseverance, the Islamic Republic took her life with a bullet.”

https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8591/