Sina Haghshenas

Sina Haghshenas was 27 years old and lived in Gorgan, in Golestan Province. He owned a well known flower shop in the city called Shohdeh, and people who knew him described him as kind, energetic, creative and gifted at flower arranging and at presenting his work.

About two weeks before his death, as the price of the US dollar in Iran passed 143,000 tomans, Sina posted a video on his shop's Instagram account and wrote: "Honestly, I can't write any caption to describe this situation."

On Thursday, 18 Dey 1404 (8 January 2026), when Gorgan joined the nationwide protests, Sina was shot dead by direct fire from security forces. Most reports, including BBC Persian and Hengaw, say he was killed in Gorgan; some early accounts placed him at the protests in Shahrud, where his cousin Matin Montazerzohour was killed the same day. Relatives told IranWire that both young men cared about freedom and went into the streets for it.

Sina was buried in Gorgan without a religious ceremony, and his family released forty white doves into the sky as he and Matin were laid to rest. He was buried at Imamzadeh Abdollah in the Javadieh neighbourhood of Gorgan. In February 2026 a large crowd gathered there for his memorial, holding sunflowers, calling his name and chanting "This flower that was torn apart is a gift to the homeland." The actress Hedieh Tehrani was among those who attended.