Ashkan Torabzadeh

Ashkan Torabzadeh Khorasani (Persian: اشکان تراب‌زاده خراسانی), 41, was a hairdresser in Mashhad, the capital of Razavi Khorasan Province, and the father of a fourteen-year-old daughter. He ran a work page on Instagram and took particular pride in his craft, above all in preparing grooms for their weddings. Those who knew him said his life revolved around his family and his work.

On the evening of Friday, 9 January 2026 (19 Dey 1404), during the nationwide uprising, his car was hit by a volley of gunfire from Islamic Republic forces on Vakilabad Boulevard in Mashhad. Dozens of military rounds were fired into the vehicle, and he was killed. A video later shared on social media and reported by Independent Persian shows the car with the marks of dozens of bullet impacts on its body.

After his death, security agencies made his family sign a pledge not to speak publicly about the killing. A close friend nevertheless sent out the news together with images of his body and of the car, saying: "I could not stay silent about the murder of my dear friend." He was buried in Behesht-e Reza cemetery in Mashhad. His name, with his father's name Hashem, also appears in the list of the dead later published by the Iranian government, and HRANA has confirmed his death in its record of the winter 2026 killings.