Story
Sajjad Vatandoust, also known as Mohammad Bagher, was born on July 10, 1985 (Tir 19, 1364 SH). He was married, a father, and originally from Rasht in Gilan province, residing in Robat Karim, Tehran province. He described himself as a generally cheerful, lively, sociable, good-natured, and kind and caring father.
The popular uprising of 1404 SH (2025-2026 CE) began on December 28, 2025 (Dey 7, 1404 SH). The protests were sparked by strikes and gatherings in Tehran's Grand Bazaar following a severe economic crisis, quickly spreading to various cities across the country. Kurdish parties simultaneously issued statements calling on people to join a nationwide strike and close markets in Kurdish cities in protest of the suppression. A few days later, Reza Pahlavi called for demonstrations on January 7 and 8, 2026 (Dey 18 and 19). Ultimately, the wave of protests reached over 400 cities, becoming the most widespread and comprehensive protest movement against the Islamic Republic in the past four decades.
On January 9, 2026 (Dey 19, 1404 SH), Sajjad Vatandoust joined his fellow citizens in Robat Karim to protest. Security forces attacked the demonstrators, firing live ammunition at the defenseless crowd. Sajjad decided to help the wounded and move them away from the scene. He managed to move three young people who had been shot in their arms and legs. As he returned for a fourth injured person, security agents identified him, rapidly approached him in a car, and ran him over. He died from the severe injuries.
Following his brutal killing, security forces took his bloodied body. When his family learned of the incident, they rushed to the scene. There, agents severely threatened them, demanding that they declare his death as a normal accident, otherwise, his body would not be returned. Under intense security pressure, his family was forced to comply to retrieve his body and bury him in his hometown. Thus, the news of his killing was fabricated, and his grieving family was forced into silence. His lifeless body was laid to rest three days later, on January 12, 2026 (Dey 22, 1404 SH), in Rasht cemetery. His third-day memorial ceremony was held on January 17, 2026 (Dey 27, 1404 SH), at Hojjatieh Al-Nasr Mosque in Rasht.
In his own words, Sajjad Vatandoust stated: "Like other people, I was protesting the difficult living conditions that the corrupt and criminal Islamic regime had created for us for years, and I went to the street to demand my rights, but the bloodthirsty regime's answer was live bullets. What was our crime as people that we had to be killed for it? What did we want other than our natural right to a normal life and some peace of mind? But the government could not tolerate our protest and mercilessly took our lives. These dark days will eventually end, and our people will taste freedom. I won't be there on that day, but don't forget to remember me in the celebration of freedom and dance and rejoice for me…💔"