A 42-year-old Christian convert, husband and father of three girls has been confirmed among the many thousands of protesters killed in recent days.

Mohsen Rashidi was shot from behind while attempting to recover the body of a close friend killed during a demonstration in Baharestan, Isfahan province, on 9 January, and died after being prevented from entering the local hospital.

The following account was provided to Article18 by his sister-in-law, Solmaz, who lives in Austria:

“At one of the gatherings in Baharestan his close friend, Shahram Maghsoudlou—a two-time national powerlifting champion from Izeh—was targeted by security forces’ machine-gun and shot in the chest.

Mohsen moved toward his friend in order to help him, but security forces beat him severely.

Mohsen managed to free himself from them and fled the scene, and after the security forces dispersed, he returned to the scene, intending to rescue his friend’s body, so it did not fall into the hands of the agents. 

However, at that moment, he was shot from behind by security forces with live ammunition and was struck by a bullet in the thigh.

Mohsen, bleeding heavily, was eventually picked up by other protesters and taken to hospital. 

But agents stationed in front of the hospital prevented him and those accompanying him from entering the emergency department and denied him access to medical treatment. As a result of severe bleeding, Mohsen lost his life.

Mohsen’s family searched for him for five consecutive days, unaware of his fate. 

After this period, they were told—upon payment of money—that his name could be searched among the list of victims. 

At first, to their relief, they were informed that the result was negative. However, one day later, his name was confirmed among those killed. 

The family was ordered to sign a form falsely stating that he was a member of the Basij paramilitary group and that he had been killed by protesters. 

The family refused this request; consequently, his body was returned to them only after they paid one billion tomans (approx. $8,000).

Mohsen leaves behind his wife, a four-year-old daughter, and two teenage step-daughters from his wife’s previous marriage, for whom Mohsen had assumed the role of a father.

The authorities did not allow Mohsen’s family to hold a funeral or mourning ceremony for him, nor did they permit them to place a gravestone on his grave.”