When Ali Rahbar vanished amidst Iran’s recent anti-government protests, his family was left with just two undeniable facts:
He was alive on January 8th when security forces arrested him during demonstrations in Mashhad. Two weeks later, he was dead.
Family members recount that the only communication they received from authorities regarding Mr. Rahbar – a 33-year-old fitness coach known for his passion for weightlifting and online poetry – was an order to retrieve his body.
The events surrounding Mr. Rahbar’s disappearance and subsequent death are still shrouded in mystery. His situation, however, is not isolated; it’s one of several cases that human rights organizations are actively investigating as possible extrajudicial killings of protesters while in state custody.
The brutal suppression of protests has ignited widespread fury across Iran. The Islamic Republic now confronts one of the most precarious periods in its 47-year existence, grappling with widespread public discontent and the specter of a potential U.S. military response.
The government has clearly signaled its unwavering resolve. Human rights groups estimate that thousands of protesters have been killed and approximately 40,000 detained. There is growing concern that authorities might resort to executing some of these detainees to quash any future dissent.
The New York Times spoke with three of Mr. Rahbar’s relatives, all residing outside Iran, who maintained contact with the family in the aftermath of his disappearance. They all requested anonymity to safeguard their loved ones still within the country from potential retaliation.
“There was no lawyer, no court, no semblance of due process,” stated Borhan, a cousin of Mr. Rahbar based in Europe. “Absolutely nothing happened – he was simply executed.”
Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, have consistently denied that any protesters have been executed. Mizan, the judiciary’s official news agency, even published an article in late January dismissing Mr. Rahbar’s case as “fake news” and claiming that no one by his name had been executed or even detained.
The precise circumstances of Mr. Rahbar’s death remain a contentious issue.
In early January, President Trump issued a warning, threatening military action against Iran if it executed “innocent protesters.” However, by mid-January, as the protests were largely quelled, Mr. Trump retracted these threats, asserting—without presenting any evidence—that he had successfully 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, offered no details on the cause of death for any individual.
Neither Iran’s Foreign Ministry nor the judiciary’s spokesperson responded to email inquiries for comment. The Times was also unable to contact the local prosecutor in Mashhad.
On January 22nd, Mr. Rahbar was laid to rest swiftly and privately by a small gathering of loved ones. Relatives reported that the service was heavily monitored by security forces.
The family was reportedly forbidden from observing the traditional 40th-day mourning ceremony, a customary Shiite Muslim ritual. Whether they, and thousands of other grieving families, adhere to this directive will serve as a stark indicator of the effectiveness of Iran’s crackdown in silencing dissent.
A New York-based rights group, the Center for Iran Human Rights, claims to have received testimony indicating that Mr. Rahbar was not executed but rather succumbed to torture. This assertion remains unverified, as Mr. Rahbar’s cousins stated that security forces prevented the family from examining 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, stated that her organization has amassed sufficient evidence from the crackdown to indicate “widespread and systemic patterns” of enforced disappearances, torture, and abuse among those detained by the state.
Amnesty, along with Hengaw, the Center for Iran Human Rights, and Iran Human Rights, reported receiving accounts from families who were informed by authorities that their detained relatives had been sentenced to death, without any prior trial notification.
Hengaw noted the uncertainty surrounding these notifications, questioning whether they represent formal death sentences or are tactics to intimidate detainees and their families. “Both scenarios remain possible,” explained Arina Moradi of the Norway-based organization.
Historically, Iranian authorities have employed executions, or the threat thereof, to quell past protests, according to Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group.
He added that trials in previous crackdowns were frequently expedited, offering defendants minimal chance to present a robust legal defense.
In Mr. Rahbar’s specific case, there appears to be no evidence of any legal process whatsoever. Amiry-Moghaddam also revealed that his team is investigating four other alleged instances of extrajudicial killings or executions across different detention facilities in Iran.
“The ongoing crisis of impunity is fueling these cycles of atrocities in Iran,” asserted Ms. Bahreini of Amnesty International.
For Mr. Rahbar’s grieving family, their only comfort lies in cherished memories of a vibrant, handsome man who found joy in dancing.
“They may have taken his life, but they will never erase his essence,” his cousin Anna affirmed.
Borhan noted that Mr. Rahbar was not overtly political. However, he joined the recent protests driven by deep frustration with Iran’s clerical regime and international sanctions, which he believed had isolated his generation and crushed their hopes for a better future.
“He understood the risk to his life,” Borhan recounted. “He told me, ‘This isn’t just for my country, my mother, or my family. I’m thinking of myself, too. I want to live, to experience life and joy, just like everyone else around the world.’”
According to his cousins, the family was prohibited from holding a public memorial service to mourn him – a restriction that has reportedly been imposed on numerous families of slain protesters by the authorities.
In Mashhad, the city of Mr. Rahbar’s birth and death, some have discovered subtle ways to honor him. Photographs shared by his cousins with The Times depict his gravesite, adorned with a picture of his face surrounded by wilting flowers.
Online, a wave of supporters has flooded Mr. Rahbar’s Instagram page with black hearts and messages of condolence. They’ve particularly focused on a picture he once posted, showcasing his bulging biceps, with the powerful caption: “Willpower is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.”