On Sunday afternoon, July 26, 2026 (Mordad 4, 1405), IRGC Intelligence forces shot and killed Kurdish cultural activist Mehdi Tavakoli. Specifically, agents opened fire on his vehicle along the Marivan–Baneh road. The fatal attack resulted in the tragic Mehdi Tavakoli IRGC killing, which also took the lives of his mother, Maryam Aslani, and his sister, Somayeh Tavakoli.
On the following day, heavily armed security personnel surrounded the funeral procession. Consequently, authorities buried all three family members under strict security measures at Behesht-e Mohammadi Cemetery in Sanandaj.
Who Was Mehdi Tavakoli?
Mehdi Tavakoli was a prominent photographer and revered cultural figure from Sanandaj. In addition, he served as the director of the Kurdistan Photographers House and founded the “Chaw” Art House. He also worked as an instructor for the Youth Cinema Society of Kurdistan. Furthermore, he gained widespread recognition for hosting photo exhibitions documenting Yazidi refugees from Sinjar and Kobane.
However, Iranian security agencies relentlessly persecuted him for years due to his cultural work. Specifically, authorities arrested him in October 2016 and held him for 35 days. Subsequently, the Revolutionary Court sentenced him in July 2017 to two years in prison on national security charges. Security forces detained him again in November 2019, May 2020, and February 2023. You can read more about targeted activists on our Political Prisoners archive.
State Narrative vs. Contradictory Reality
Following the shooting, Iranian state authorities offered a conflicting account. Instead of identifying the victims, law enforcement claimed they killed several PJAK members during an “armed clash” near the Baneh border.
Nevertheless, state officials provided zero evidence to support their claim of an armed confrontation. Indeed, the official narrative directly contradicts the deaths of an unarmed photographer and two female civilian family members in the Mehdi Tavakoli IRGC killing.
Demands for an Independent Investigation
The extrajudicial killing of three members of a single family highlights the grave dangers facing civil figures. Therefore, human rights organizations demand an immediate and independent investigation into the Mehdi Tavakoli IRGC killing. Ultimately, international judicial bodies must hold the IRGC commanders and officers accountable for this attack. To learn more about regional security, visit our Protests section.
