An amateur boxer from Iran was killed by security forces during anti-regime protests near Tehran, prompting his father to spend a week searching for his body in a black bag to confirm its identity.
Disturbing videos circulating online show a grieving father desperately looking through black body bags while calling out for his son. Separ Ebrahimi, just 19 years old, lost his life on January 11 in the Andisheh district, approximately 30 kilometers west of Tehran, according to Iranian opposition sources.
“Mr. Separ was shot dead in Tehran,” stated Ali Safavi, a senior member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Footage shared on social media captures Ebrahimi’s father searching through a warehouse filled with unidentified bodies, a grim scene after the violent crackdown on protesters.
“Dear Sepal, where are you?” the father’s anguished cries can be heard. At one point, he exclaimed, “Damn, Khamenei. They killed so many people’s children. You killed so many young people!”
It’s reported that Ebrahimi was shot with live ammunition by security forces during protests against the clerical regime. His family endured a painful week checking morgues, hospitals, and jails before tragically identifying his body amidst a pile of others, as seen in viral clips.
The violence unfolded amid ongoing protests in Iran, fueled by dissatisfaction with political repression, economic struggles, and human rights violations. Ebrahimi’s death has also brought renewed focus to the case of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, another Iranian boxer currently on death row.
Vafaei Sani, now 30, was arrested in 2020 for his involvement in a pro-democracy movement. Authorities have accused him of supporting the Iranian People’s Mojahedin Organization (MEK), and he reportedly faced torture and prolonged solitary confinement during his five years in prison, as per human rights groups.
In 2023, over 100 human rights experts and organizations urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to take immediate action to prevent his execution. Vafaei Sani’s death sentence echoes that of Iranian wrestling champion Navid Afkari, who was executed in September 2020.
As the death toll from protests in Iran rises, Ebrahimi’s case adds to the growing concern. Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) reported that over 6,126 individuals have been killed since the latest wave of protests began. Additionally, there were 214 government-affiliated forces and 49 civilians among the dead, with over 17,000 deaths still being investigated.
