Ariana Arjmandi was a vibrant 23-year-old individual, full of zest for life, with a deep passion for studying, books, and foreign languages. He was a psychology student, learning German, and intended to pursue his master's degree in Germany. He also worked for a period in a bookstore in Borujerd.
Ariana was a member of the LGBTQ community, a fact that, according to reports, led to
his and others like his facing severe psychological and emotional abuse and societal boycott. According to Hengaw, he was a gay individual, and a few months before his killing, he had discussed his gender identity with some trusted friends. He faced many challenges related to queerphobia in his personal life but was striving towards coming out and wished for others to know his true identity at the appropriate time. On January 28, 2026, he posted a powerful tweet, declaring, “For the day we shout: We are free! We are free! We are free!”
Ariana Arjmandi was killed by Islamic Republic forces on Thursday, January 7, 2026, during protests in Borujerd. He died after being shot directly in the heart at close range by suppressive forces. The Islamic Republic's suppressive forces did not release his body for four days and pressured the family to declare their child a “martyr” who died at the hands of protesters, and to bury him in Fasa. The family rejected all these conditions, insisting that even at the cost of not receiving their child's body, they would identify him as he was: a protesting youth who believed in freedom.
Finally, his body was laid to rest in the early hours of Monday, January 11, 2026, in Borujerd cemetery, with a number of family members and security forces present, amidst his mother's cries for justice. His father, in a poignant statement, expressed concern about his ability to make his voice heard and honor his daughter's name due to their Lur ethnicity, saying, “Sorry, we are of Lur origin — maybe that doesn't suit you.” At his memorial, his family requested attendees to wear white and commemorate his memory with the sounds of the daf and music. Forty nights after his passing, his loved ones vowed to continue his path and avenge him.