By Anietie Anii-Bassey
Robina Aminian’s family believes the Iranian college student was killed by a bullet fired by security forces directly into the back of her head, a violent end that reflects the deadly force authorities have used to crush nationwide protests challenging the country’s clerical rule.
Her death, relatives say, marked only the beginning of a harrowing ordeal. In the chaotic aftermath, Aminian’s mother searched through rows of bloodied corpses to find her daughter.
Fearing further abuse by authorities, the family then fled with the body, buried her in haste, and left her in an unmarked grave by the roadside.
The family’s account offers a stark glimpse into the suffering endured by countless Iranians whose loved ones have been killed during the unrest. For many, the pain of loss has been compounded by intimidation, secrecy, and the inability to mourn openly or provide dignified burials.
More than a week after Aminian was killed, her relatives say no funeral has been held. The young woman, who was Kurdish and studying fashion design in Tehran, had dreams of building a future far from political confrontation.
“She wanted a bright future for herself,” said her uncle, Nezar Minoei, speaking from Oslo. “But that future has been taken from her.”
Precise details surrounding Aminian’s death remain difficult to verify. According to relatives, her mother later recounted what she learned from Aminian’s friends who were with her at the time.
Human rights organizations have cited witness testimony placing a fatal shooting on the night of Jan. 8 near the Shariati Technical and Vocational College for Girls in Tehran.
Severe restrictions on communications inside Iran have made independent verification nearly impossible. Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on Aminian’s death, and officials have offered no comprehensive accounting of the number of people killed since the protests erupted. Independent rights groups, however, say the toll has reached into the thousands.
Everything the family knows about the final moments of Aminian’s life came through a brief phone call her mother managed to make on Jan. 10 to relatives living abroad.
According to the family, Aminian’s friends called her mother two days earlier to say she had been shot by security forces while walking away from campus after dark. They told her that a protest broke out nearby and that they joined the crowd.
The friends said a bullet struck Aminian from behind, hitting her in the head. Relatives insist she was not politically active and had no involvement in organizing demonstrations.
Video footage circulating online and corroborated by rights groups has shown security forces using live ammunition, rifles, and shotguns against demonstrators across the country. Iranian authorities have described protesters as terrorists and claimed some were armed, though there has been no suggestion that Aminian or those near her posed any threat at the time she was killed.
When Aminian’s mother, Amina Norei, learned of her daughter’s death, she was in Kermanshah, a city in Iran’s western Kurdish region, hundreds of kilometers from Tehran. She immediately traveled overnight to the capital, according to relatives, and began searching morgues for her daughter.
“She opened body bag after body bag,” said Hali Norei, Aminian’s aunt, speaking from Oslo. “She looked through so many beautiful faces, trying to find her girl. It’s horrifying to imagine what she went through.”
Rights organizations say such scenes have become common, with morgues overwhelmed by the number of bodies. In some cases, corpses have reportedly been stored in trucks, shipping containers, and warehouses due to lack of space.
When Norei finally found Aminian’s body, relatives say she feared that authorities would prevent the family from taking her home or demand money in exchange for releasing the remains. Joined by her husband and children, she hurriedly removed the body and fled.
“She took her daughter and ran,” Minoei said. “She felt she had no choice.”
Human rights groups have documented repeated allegations that families are pressured to pay fees or sign false statements in order to retrieve the bodies of those killed in protests. Such practices, they say, are used to intimidate relatives and discourage public mourning. Iranian state media has denied the claims, asserting that burial services are provided free of charge.
According to Aminian’s relatives, the family endured a seven-hour drive back to Kermanshah with her body in the back seat of the car. They say blood soaked their clothes as grief overwhelmed them. Upon arriving home, they found security forces positioned around the house, heightening their fear.
Faced with what they believed was imminent danger, the family decided not to remain. They drove out of town, dug a shallow grave along a roadside, placed Aminian’s body inside, and left without marking the spot. Relatives believe she remains buried there.
Since then, the family abroad says they have lost contact with Aminian’s mother and other relatives still in Iran. The silence has only deepened their anguish.
For Aminian’s family, the pain of losing a daughter, niece, and sister is inseparable from the terror and secrecy that followed her death. Their story echoes those of many other families across Iran, mourning in isolation as the country continues to grapple with the human cost of its violent crackdown on dissent.
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