The Islamic Republic of Iran has sentenced Pouria Saeedi, a Kurdish protester, wrestler, and former member of the national team, to 15 years of discretionary imprisonment, as part of its continuing campaign of repression against protesters and their families.
This heavy sentence has been issued despite the fact that Pouria Saeedi was severely injured at the time of his arrest, was denied adequate medical treatment, and that the body of his brother, Javid-named Omid Saeedi, has still not been returned to the family.
Pouria Saeedi and his brother Omid Saeedi, originally from Sanandaj and residents of Tehran, took to the streets in the Tehranpars area on January 8, 2026, to join the wave of nationwide protests.
Omid Saeedi was killed by direct gunfire from security forces. Pouria, who was standing over his brother’s lifeless body, was then targeted with a barrage of pellet gunfire. Multiple pellets struck his body, leaving him seriously wounded. In that bloodied and near-unconscious state, he was arrested by security forces.
The Saeedi family has still not been allowed to receive Omid’s body. Government forces have reportedly demanded a ransom of 700 million tomans in exchange for releasing the body—an action that has become a recurring pattern: killing protesters, concealing their bodies, and then extorting grieving families to prevent funerals and suppress public exposure of the crime.
This case lays bare three simultaneous layers of repression: the direct killing of unarmed protesters with live ammunition and pellets; the arrest and rapid prosecution of wounded protesters while they are still bleeding; and severe financial and psychological pressure on families to force silence and prevent the truth from emerging.
