SUSPICIOUS DEATH, BELIEVED TO BE A STATE KILLING, OF MONARCHIST PROTESTER OMID SARLAK

The suspicious death of Omid Sarlak, a 22-year-old monarchist activist from Aligudarz, has sparked widespread outrage on social media. On the night of Saturday, October 31, 2025, his lifeless body was found inside an abandoned car, shot dead, with a firearm placed beside him.

Unofficial reports say that just hours before his death, Sarlak had posted an Instagram story showing a video of Ali Khamenei’s photo being set on fire, overlaid with the voice of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. In the same story, he shared a fiery message calling on young Iranians to rise up against “humiliation and poverty” and to prove their courage.”

Only a few hours after the post, his bullet-ridden body was discovered. Social media users have called it a “state killing”, holding the Islamic Republic directly responsible for his death.

Local sources report that Sarlak’s body has not yet been handed over to his family, who are reportedly under pressure from security forces to declare the death a suicide.