Mohammad Hossein Faraji

Mohammad Hossein Faraji (July 17, 2004 – October 26, 2022)

Mohammad Hossein Faraji, born on July 17, 2004, was an 18-year-old from Tehran's Tehransar neighborhood. Passionate about photography—especially portrait photography—he had only been eighteen for four months when his life came to an end during Iran's nationwide protests in 2022.
On October 26, the day marking the fortieth day after the death of Mahsa Amini, Mohammad Hossein left home to join the demonstrations. He remained in contact with his friends until before sunset, but later that evening his phone was switched off, and his family lost all contact with him.
That night and over the following days, his family searched hospitals, police stations, and other authorities, desperately trying to find any trace of him. They received no answers and endured days of uncertainty, unaware of what had happened to their son.
According to the accounts of his family and those close to him, Mohammad Hossein was killed that same day after being shot in the head. They further state that after his death, security forces took custody of his body and withheld it from the family for six days.
His family says that on the night of November 1, 2022, officials contacted his father and claimed that Mohammad Hossein's body had been found in a park in the Zaferaniyeh district and that he had died of a heart attack. His family rejected this explanation, saying it contradicted the evidence they observed.
The family also says they were subjected to threats and intense pressure to remain silent about the circumstances of his death. According to their account, Mohammad Hossein's body was finally returned six days later, and he was buried on November 1, 2022 (10 Aban 1401) in a quiet ceremony held under severe restrictions. They further state that funeral announcements were torn down and that they were prevented from holding a public memorial.
As a result, many of Mohammad Hossein's friends and acquaintances did not learn of his death until after the seventh-day memorial ceremony. According to his family, this silence was the result of the pressure imposed on them.
Mohammad Hossein Faraji was laid to rest in Section 310, Row 13, Grave No. 59 of Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery in Tehran.
For his family, friends, and many who remember him, Mohammad Hossein was a young man with his whole future ahead of him. He was only eighteen years old when his life ended amid one of the most turbulent periods in Iran's recent history. His memory continues to live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.