According to a report by the human rights news outlet IranWire, Mehdi Fathi, a resident of Tehran’s Ariashahr neighborhood, died on January 9 from internal bleeding after being shot in the abdomen, informed sources told the outlet. Fathi’s body was released from the Kahrizak morgue the following day, and he was buried during a nighttime ceremony on January 12, according to the report.
Relatives described Fathi, who was single, as a die-hard supporter of the Tehran-based Persepolis Football Club. Before his death, Fathi reportedly left instructions asking mourners to avoid wearing traditional black clothing to his funeral. Instead, he requested that they wear the team’s signature colors, red and white, and display a Persepolis flag.
Family members said Fathi’s mother died approximately two months after his death due to the severe grief of losing her son. Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on the circumstances surrounding Fathi’s death.
