Heartbreaking Accounts from Iran's Protests: 'I Carried My Wife's Body for an Hour and a Half'

Wed Feb 18 2026 02:46:51 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In the wake of violent protests in Iran, emotional testimonies reveal the harrowing experiences of those who lost loved ones, including a man who carried his slain wife for over an hour.

As protests intensify in Iran, citizens like Reza recount tragic experiences, including the loss of family members to violence. The protests, marked by a deadly crackdown from security forces, have left numerous families mourning their loved ones, as the official death toll rises, highlighting a grave humanitarian crisis. Families are facing not only devastation but also the threat of repression as the authorities clamp down on dissent.

Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of death and injury

Heading home after joining a protest in Tehran on January 8, Reza put his arms around his wife Maryam to protect her. Suddenly, I felt my arm go light – there was only her jacket in my hands, he recounted. Maryam had been fatally shot, and the couple had no idea where the bullet had come from.

Reza carried Maryam's body for an hour and a half. Exhausted, he sat down in an alley. Eventually, the residents of a nearby house took them into their garage, brought a white sheet, and wrapped Maryam's body in it.

Days before heading out to the protests, Maryam told her children, aged seven and fourteen, about the situation in their country. Sometimes parents go to the protests and don't come back, she warned. My blood, and yours, is no more precious than anyone else's.

Maryam is just one of the thousands of protesters who should have returned home but never did, as authorities responded to the escalating demonstrations across Iran with a brutal crackdown.

The Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports the confirmed killing of at least 2,400 protesters, including children, during the recent unrest. The true death toll remains unclear amidst a government-imposed internet blackout and a lack of independent verification due to restricted access for human rights organizations and journalists.

Before the protests erupted on December 29, Reza and Maryam were like many Iranians, expressing frustration over rising costs and the plummeting value of the national currency. As protests spread to various towns and cities, they quickly evolved into calls for an end to the rule of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Witnesses describe the situation as increasingly dire, with reports of security forces targeting protesters with lethal force. Accounts suggest that demonstrators were often shot while fleeing from confrontations.

Difficult tales similar to Reza's are emerging throughout the country. A family member described one young man, Sorena Golgun, an 18-year-old university student killed by security forces while escaping an ambush. Similarly, Robina Aminian, a 23-year-old fashion student, was shot in Tehran while her mother was forced to collect her daughter's body and bury it in isolation under oppressive circumstances.

Despite being outnumbered, the determination of the protesters remains unyielded, with many still taking to the streets despite the apparent risks. One woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, affirmed that the protesters are more united than ever but expressed apprehension for those who remain in the country.

The government has remained largely silent regarding the protests, and while local media have reported casualties, they have framed the situation as a crisis involving rioters and terrorists.

As calls for accountability and justice continue amid the violence, many families like Reza's are left grappling with unimaginable loss and the fear that their loved ones could also become victims of state violence.