IRAN - Milad Mianekhah Monfardi

IRAN - Victim Accounts: Milad Mianekhah Monfardi

February 9, 2026:

February 9, 2026 - IRAN. Victim Accounts: Milad Mianekhah Monfardi

Protester Whose Killing Authorities Falsely Attributed to Drugs

A relative of Milad Mianekhah Monfardi has shared details of the killing of the former youth football player for Malavan Bandar Anzali FC during anti-government protests.

According to information obtained by IHR, a 29-year-old protester named Milad Mianekhah Monfardi was killed by live ammunition fired by security forces in Bandar Anazali, Gilan province, on 9 January 2026.

Maryam (Maria) Mianekhah Monfardi, Milad’s aunt, told IHR: “On 9 January 2026, during nationwide protests in the Ghazian area (Imamzadeh vicinity), in the city of Bandar Anzali, Gilan Province, Milad was shot and killed by security forces. He had gone out to join the protesters and to help those who had been injured. During the crackdown, security forces attacked protesters with batons, and as Milad tried to escape the beating, he was shot from behind with live ammunition. The bullet struck his heart.”

According to her, after he was shot, Milad’s friends first moved him to a nearby house and hid him, and then took him to a clinic close to the site of the clashes. After security forces entered the clinic, protesters hid Milad’s body in the maternity ward to prevent it from being confiscated. When Milad’s father arrived, his body was taken out of the clinic and transferred to the morgue at Bandar Anzali cemetery.

The victim’s aunt stressed that forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij (paramilitary branch of the IRGC) were responsible for the direct shooting of protesters in the Ghazian area of Bandar Anzali.

“According to local witnesses,” she added, “the number of people killed that day was very high, and even a child was among the victims. There was sustained, heavy gunfire.”

She said that during the process of handing over Milad’s body, the family faced obstruction and security pressure. “After four days, the authorities handed over Milad’s body after obtaining a written undertaking from the family not to hold a public funeral ceremony, not to allow filming, and not to publicise the case. Armed security forces were present at the burial, and the family were not allowed to mourn freely. They were also forced to sign an undertaking that they would not hold memorial ceremonies in the future.”

She also mentioned that security forces attempted to register the cause of death as an “overdose resulting from drug use”, but the civil registration officer recorded the cause of death as “gunshot wound”.

Milad Mianekhah Monfardi was a former youth player for Malavan Bandar Anzali FC and worked in drywall and interior construction.

https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8596/