Since the outbreak of popular protests in January, the Islamic Republic has attributed these demonstrations to “foreign espionage and security services.” In regime propaganda, protesting citizens have routinely been labeled either “deluded” or “foreign agents.” However, investigations by IranWire and human rights organizations demonstrate that the vast majority of those killed were ordinary citizens who took to the streets simply to protest existing conditions. In many instances, the victims were children, individuals living near the demonstrations, or bystanders who had merely gone out to watch.
This report chronicles the death of Milad Azagh, a Lori protester from Choram. He was a 21-year-old laborer who had moved to Tehran for work, only to have his young life taken by a bullet to the back of his head during the bloody January protests.
Following the earlier release of a video showing him after being struck by a bullet in the back of his head and neck and losing a significant amount of blood, informed sources told IranWire that his family had been searching for any sign of him for nearly two months. Absolutely no news had surfaced regarding the young man, who at the time was presumed to be wounded.
