When Ali Rahbar vanished amidst the wave of anti-government protests sweeping Iran last month, his family clung to just two stark certainties.
He was alive on January 8th when arrested by security forces during a demonstration in Mashhad. Two agonizing weeks later, he was dead.
His family recounts that the only communication they received from the authorities regarding Mr. Rahbar — a 33-year-old fitness coach known for his passion for weightlifting and poetry shared online — was a chilling directive to retrieve his body.
The details surrounding Mr. Rahbar’s disappearance and subsequent death are shrouded in mystery. His case, however, is not isolated; human rights groups are actively investigating it as one of several potential extrajudicial killings of protesters while in state custody.
This brutal crackdown on dissent has ignited widespread fury across Iran. The Islamic Republic now navigates one of its most precarious periods in 47 years, grappling with profound public discontent and the specter of a potential U.S. intervention.
The government has signaled no intention of easing its grip. Human rights organizations estimate that thousands of protesters have been killed and approximately 40,000 detained. There are grave fears that authorities might execute some of these protesters to crush any future dissent.
Three of Mr. Rahbar’s relatives, currently residing outside Iran, spoke with The New York Times, having been in contact with the family during the weeks following his disappearance. All requested anonymity to shield their loved ones within Iran from potential reprisals.
“There was no lawyer, no court, no semblance of due process,” stated Borhan, a cousin of Mr. Rahbar living in Europe. “Absolutely nothing happened – he was simply executed.”
Iranian authorities, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, have steadfastly maintained that no protesters have been executed. The official news outlet of Iran’s judiciary, Mizan, even published an article in late January dismissing Mr. Rahbar’s case as “fake news” and asserting that no one by his name had been executed or even detained.
The precise circumstances of Mr. Rahbar’s death remain a volatile and contentious issue.
In early January, then-President Trump had issued a stark warning, threatening to strike Iran if it harmed “innocent protesters.” However, by mid-January, as the protests were largely suppressed, he retracted these threats, claiming, without offering evidence, to have prevented the executions of 837 protesters.
Mr. Rahbar’s name was included on a government list of nearly 3,000 individuals reportedly killed during the protests. This list, released last week by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, notably omits any details regarding the causes of their deaths.
Neither Iran’s Foreign Ministry nor the judiciary’s spokesperson responded to requests for comment, and attempts by The Times to contact the Mashhad local prosecutor were unsuccessful.
On January 22nd, a small group of loved ones quietly and discreetly laid Mr. Rahbar to rest. His relatives reported that the service was heavily monitored by security forces.
The family was explicitly forbidden from observing the customary 40-day mourning ritual, a significant tradition for Iran’s Shiite Muslim majority. Whether they, and the families of thousands of other fallen protesters, adhere to this directive will serve as a stark indicator of the regime’s success in silencing dissent.
The New York-based Center for Iran Human Rights claims to possess testimony suggesting Mr. Rahbar was not executed but rather succumbed to torture. This claim, however, remains unverified, as Mr. Rahbar’s cousins stated that security forces denied the family permission to examine his body.
“His mother was permitted only to see his face,” shared his cousin Anna, who resides overseas.
Raha Bahreini, an Iran researcher for Amnesty International, asserted that her organization has amassed substantial evidence from the crackdown, pointing to “widespread and systemic patterns” of enforced disappearances, torture, and abuse inflicted upon detainees in state custody.
Amnesty, alongside three other human rights organizations — Hengaw, the Center for Iran Human Rights, and Iran Human Rights — reported being in touch with families who claimed to have received calls from authorities notifying them of death sentences for their detained relatives, without any prior trial.
Arina Moradi from the Norway-based Hengaw organization noted that it’s unclear whether these communications constitute formal death sentences or are merely tactics to intimidate detainees and their families. “Both scenarios remain entirely possible,” she stated.
Historically, Iranian authorities have employed execution, or its looming threat, as a tool to suppress past protests, a pattern highlighted by Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group.
In previous crackdowns, trials were typically rushed, affording defendants minimal opportunity to present a legal defense, Mr. Amiry-Moghaddam explained.
For Mr. Rahbar’s case, however, there was no evidence of any legal process whatsoever. His team is currently probing four other suspected cases of extrajudicial killings or executions across different detention facilities in Iran.
“The relentless cycle of atrocities in Iran is fueled by a profound crisis of impunity,” asserted Ms. Bahreini of Amnesty International.
For Ali Rahbar’s grieving family, the only comfort lies in cherished memories of a vibrant, handsome man who loved to dance.
“They may have taken his life, but they will never extinguish the essence of who he was,” his cousin Anna vowed.
Borhan clarified that Mr. Rahbar wasn’t inherently political but joined the recent protests out of deep frustration. He believed Iran’s clerical leadership and international sanctions had isolated his generation, crushing their aspirations for the future.
“He was fully aware of the risks to his life,” Borhan recounted. “He told me, ‘This isn’t just for my country, my mother, or my family. I’m doing this for myself too. I want to live, to experience life and joy, just like everyone else around the world.’”
His cousins confirmed that the family was denied permission to hold a public memorial service, a common restriction reported by numerous families of slain protesters by the authorities.
In Mashhad, the city where Mr. Rahbar was born and died, some have discovered subtle ways to pay their respects. Photographs shared by his cousins with The Times depict his gravesite adorned with wilting flowers, encircling an image of his face.
Online, a wave of support has emerged, with black hearts and condolence messages flooding Mr. Rahbar’s Instagram page. One post, in particular, stands out: a picture of him flexing his biceps, accompanied by the caption, “Willpower is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.”