Saeed Safari, a 49-year-old citizen from Ilam and a member of the Dehbalayi tribe, is another of those killed in the nationwide protests in Ilam.
He was subjected to baton blows and pellet gunfire by suppressive forces of the Islamic Republic and, after six days in a coma, lost his life.
According to Kolbarnews, on the evening of Friday, January 9, 2026, Saeed Safari was attacked by plainclothes agents wielding machetes while trying to save his friend, and he himself was shot at close range in the chest with a pellet gun. Following this, suppressive forces assaulted him and repeatedly beat him with batons, especially targeting his face and chest.
Saeed Safari, who had previously undergone surgery, fell into a coma due to the severity of repeated baton blows and died on January 14, 2026.
His body was buried at Salehabad Cemetery in Ilam. The burial ceremony was held under a heavy security presence, but slogans against the government were chanted during the ceremony.
Government authorities, including the governor and the provincial governor of Ilam, visited his family and offered money in exchange for announcing that Saeed Safari had been killed by “protesters,” a request that his family firmly rejected.
Saeed Safari, the father of two sons and one daughter, was a former player for the Pas and Persepolis Ilam football teams and a grassroots football coach, and was considered one of the sons of the Dehbalayi tribe of Ilam.
