Ehsan Afshari lost his life in violent protests in Iran

Ehsan Afshari, a resident of Västerås, Sweden, lost his life during violent protests in Iran.

Ehsan Afsharimanesh, a 39-year-old resident of Västerås, Sweden, died during violent protests after traveling to Iran to visit his family. Based on available information, it is feared that he was killed during the suppression of popular protests by government forces.

Since late December, a wave of widespread protests has erupted in various cities across Iran in response to the sharp fall in the value of the national currency, high inflation, and public dissatisfaction with corruption, oppression, and human rights violations by the government.

Ehsan, who had lived in Westeros for many years, traveled to Iran on March 26, 2025, with the stated purpose of the trip being to visit his immediate family. He was previously a member of a Persian-speaking church in Westeros.

The news of his death was first conveyed to his sister in Canada by his mother, who lives in Iran. Ehsan had no close relatives in Sweden, but his father, mother and another sister live in Iran.

A close friend in Västerås, who has been friends with Ehsan since he immigrated to Sweden in 2010, says the news has had a profound impact on him. According to him, their last contact was on January 1, New Year's Eve.

“Despite knowing the dangers, Ehsan decided to return to Iran,” says Dost Ehsan. He had left Iran years ago after escaping military service. According to his relatives, Ehsan was suffering from depression and needed a fresh start in life. On the other hand, his parents’ increasing age had made him have a strong desire to visit them. His stay in Iran was supposed to be about a month, but he was reportedly not allowed to leave the country.”

Information about Ehsan's death was passed on to his relatives abroad through mutual friends in Iran. His body was identified by his mother, and according to close sources, due to the severity of his injuries, identification was only possible through the tattoos on his body.

On Friday, Ehsan's friend learned through a radio interview with one of his sisters that Ehsan had been shot in the abdomen during the protests and taken to hospital by friends. Ehsan was reportedly conscious at the time, but hours later, his family received a call that his body had been found among other bodies, with injuries to his face.

It should be noted that the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency has not yet recorded any official information about the death of a citizen living in Västerås in Iran.

Meanwhile, the press service of the Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a written response that the ministry was aware of the death of a Swedish citizen in Iran, which is said to have occurred in January, and is gathering more information about the case. Due to consular confidentiality, further details have not been released.

In recent years, human rights organizations have repeatedly warned of the Islamic Republic’s widespread use of deadly violence against protesters and unarmed citizens. Ample evidence shows that the regime’s security forces have used deadly force against ordinary people in response to popular protests, disregarding human rights principles. Children, adolescents, young people, women, men, and the elderly have all been subjected to repression, with no distinction made between security targets and defenseless citizens. For decades, generations of young Iranians have lost their lives as a result of the regime’s repressive policies and violent actions, without effective accountability or judicial justice.

Meanwhile, millions of Iranians abroad are anxiously following the plight of their families and loved ones, who are now living in Iran and are currently at risk of arbitrary detention, torture, violence, enforced disappearances, and organized repression during the protests. The persistence of this situation has raised serious concerns about the systematic violations of human rights and the impunity of the perpetrators of these violence.