At least five Iranian artists and cultural workers have been killed by Iranian police and militias since nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic began on December 28, 2025.

The Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), an independent international organization that supports artists under threat, issued a statement on January 13 condemning the reported killings, naming Mehdi Salahshour, Javad Ganji, Rubina Aminian, and Soroush Soleimani among the dead. Meanwhile, the killing of Ahmad Abbasi has been separately confirmed by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

Salahshour, a Mashhad-based sculptor and educator known for his stone works, was shot dead by Iranian government forces with a military-grade Kalashnikov rifle during protests in Mashhad on January 8. That same day, 23-year-old fashion designer and student Aminian was killed by a close-range bullet fired from behind after leaving campus to join a student protest near the Shariaty Technical and Vocational College in Tehran; she was later identified among what witnesses described as “hundreds” of bodies of young people killed in the crackdown. Ganji, an assistant director and production planner in film and television, was killed by direct gunfire during protests in the Sadeghiyeh area of Tehran on January 9, as Hengaw confirmed through video evidence. Hengaw and Deadline also reported that Abbasi, actor and theater director, was shot dead in the same demonstration on Pirouzi Street. Soleimani, a 28-year-old hip-hop artist, was fatally shot during protests in his hometown of Hafshejan on January 4.  

ARC’s executive director Julie Trébault stated that Iranian government forces have engaged in widespread extrajudicial killings to suppress nationwide protests in the last two weeks, warning that with information being suppressed, “anyone could be targeted by the police and militia.” She said ARC “mourns the killing of these Iranian artists, and calls on the authorities to stop their assault on and detention of protestors, and on the international community to take urgent action to stop escalating violations of human rights and humanitarian norms.”

Authorities have sharply restricted internet and mobile networks across Iran, limiting the flow of information from protest sites. In a joint statement released on January 10, filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof called for “access to vital information in Iran by enabling communication platforms,” urging the restoration of disrupted communications to allow monitoring of events.

On the day ARC released its statement, credible human rights organizations and international media had confirmed the deaths of around 2,000 civilians, including children, although observers cautioned that the actual toll is likely far higher. 

Ashley Cheung is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.