Ariana Arjmandi was a vibrant 23-year-old individual, full of zest for life, with a deep passion for studying, books, and foreign languages. She was a psychology student, learning German, and intended to pursue her master's degree in Germany. She 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 her and others like her facing severe psychological and emotional abuse and societal boycott. According to Hengaw, she was a gay individual, and a few months before her killing, she had discussed her gender identity with some trusted friends. She faced many challenges related to queerphobia in her personal life but was striving towards coming out and wished for others to know her true identity at the appropriate time. On January 28, 2026, she 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. She died after being shot directly in the heart at close range by suppressive forces. The Islamic Republic's suppressive forces did not release her body for four days and pressured the family to declare their child a “martyr” who died at the hands of protesters, and to bury her in Fasa. The family rejected all these conditions, insisting that even at the cost of not receiving their child's body, they would identify her as she was: a protesting youth who believed in freedom.
Finally, her 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 her mother's cries for justice. Her 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 her memorial, her family requested attendees to wear white and commemorate her memory with the sounds of the daf and music. Forty nights after her passing, her loved ones vowed to continue her path and avenge her.