According to information obtained by IranWire, Mojtaba Korabi, also known as Barsam, was shot directly by security forces on the evening of January 11 in the Salsabil neighborhood of Tehran, subsequently falling into a coma.
The 30-year-old Sabzevar native suffered brain death from the gunshot wound and passed away a week later, on January 19, at Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran.
His body was returned to Sabzevar for burial. IranWire has learned that because the family inscribed the phrase “Javidnam” (Eternal Name/Immortal) on his gravestone, officials from the state-run Martyrs Foundation pressured them to replace it with the government-sanctioned title “Shahid” (Martyr).
After the family refused to comply with the state’s demands, Mojtaba Korabi’s gravestone was broken and vandalized. In response, his family decided to leave his resting place without a headstone until “the day of freedom.”
Korabi was a fitness coach, bodybuilder, and official powerlifting referee. A source close to the family told IranWire: “Mojtaba trained both practically and academically for several years alongside his maternal uncle, Ruhollah Nassiri, a well-known athlete in Razavi Khorasan. Through hard work and perseverance, he managed to establish his professional career as a certified coach and official powerlifting referee.”
