The family of a young Iranian student killed during nationwide protests has described a harrowing ordeal of searching through piles of corpses to find her body, before burying her in an unmarked roadside grave to evade authorities.
A Death That Began an Odyssey of Anguish
Robina Aminian, a 23-year-old Kurdish college student studying fashion in Tehran, was killed during protests that challenged Iran's theocracy. Her family believes she was shot in the back of the head at close range by Iranian security forces. Her death on 8 January 2026 was only the beginning of her family's suffering.
In the aftermath, her mother, Amina Norei, had to travel from their home in Kermanshah to Tehran and search through stacks of bloodied bodies to identify her daughter. The family's desperate journey reflects the wider trauma inflicted on relatives of those killed in the state's crackdown, with reports of overflowing morgues and officials demanding payment for the release of bodies.
The Desperate Search and Secret Burial
After receiving a call from Aminian's friends on the night of 8 January, her mother rushed to the capital. "She looked through so many beautiful faces, trying to find her girl," said Hali Norei, the victim's aunt, from Oslo. The mother unzipped body bag after body bag in a grim search.
Upon finding her daughter, the family acted quickly. Fearing authorities would block them and demand a payment to release the corpse—a practice reported by human rights groups—they took the body and began a seven-hour drive back to Kermanshah. Aminian's uncle, Nezar Minoei, stated, "She actually stole the body."
Their nightmare continued upon arrival. With security forces surrounding their home, they saw only one option. They drove out of town, dug a pit by the roadside, placed Aminian's body inside, and drove away. She is believed to still lie there in an unmarked grave, over a week after her death, with no funeral held.
A Pattern of Suppression and Silence
Details of Aminian's death remain unclear due to severe communication limits within Iran. The Associated Press spoke to three relatives and verified social media videos showing the shooting near Shariati Technical and Vocational College for Girls. However, independent confirmation of the family's account or the exact wounds has been impossible.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not respond to questions. The government has offered no overall casualty figures, but the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates at least 3,090 people have been killed.
Human rights organisations report that demanding money for bodies or forcing families to sign false declarations that their dead were security force members are "well-known, standard practices" to intimidate families and prevent public mourning. While Iranian state TV has recently claimed burial services are free, the accounts from grieving families tell a different story.
"She wanted a bright future for herself," her uncle Minoei said. "But unfortunately, the future has been stolen from her." The family has had no contact with Aminian's mother in Iran since Sunday, leaving them in a state of agonising uncertainty.
