Iranian student protester shot in back of the head and buried by roadside

17GEN4.com

Tehran, January 11, 2026 – A 23-year-old fashion design student was shot execution-style in the back of the head and hastily buried by the roadside, according to human rights activists and multiple international reports.

Rubina Aminian, a Kurdish woman from the Marivan area studying textiles at Shariati College in Tehran, joined street demonstrations on Thursday, January 8, after finishing her classes. Witnesses and family sources report that she never returned home. By the weekend, her body was discovered and buried in a makeshift grave along a deserted stretch of road between Kermanshah and Kamyaran in western Iran.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights documented that Aminian was shot at close range from behind, with the fatal bullet striking the back of her head. When her parents traveled from their hometown in Kermanshah to Tehran to identify and retrieve her body, they were reportedly confronted with the grim sight of numerous other young victims killed in similar fashion—many shot in the head or neck at point-blank range. Authorities initially refused to release the body and later prohibited traditional mosque burial services, forcing the family to inter her hurriedly under surveillance, with intelligence forces reportedly surrounding their home.

A source close to the Aminian family described Rubina as "a young woman full of joy for life and passionate about fashion and clothing design, whose dreams were buried by the violent repression of the Islamic Republic." Social media glimpses of her life showed a vibrant individual trying on jewelry, applying lipstick, and sharing optimistic moments—now tragically contrasted with the brutality of her death.

This incident comes as protests, which erupted in late December over worsening economic conditions including currency collapse, inflation, and service shortages, have intensified into one of the largest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising. Activists report a sharp escalation in lethal force since mid-last week, with medics describing hospitals overwhelmed by dead and wounded protesters, many targeted with head and neck shots. A single surgeon reportedly treated six headshot victims from one Thursday demonstration in Tehran's Qala Hassan Khan area—none survived.

Human rights groups and media outlets estimate the overall death toll has surged past 500, with thousands detained amid widespread internet blackouts and communication restrictions that have hindered independent verification. Reports indicate a hardening regime policy, with protesters increasingly labeled "terrorists" and security forces showing less restraint.

The killing of Aminian has drawn renewed international attention, highlighting patterns of summary executions and forced burials designed to suppress mourning and public outrage. Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has urged continued demonstrations, claiming the regime is losing its capacity to sustain the crackdown.

As protests persist into their third week, the story of Rubina Aminian stands as a heartbreaking symbol of the regime's brutal response to calls for freedom and change.

17GEN4.com