Alireza Anjavi, born on January 31, 1993, was the only surviving child of a grieving family. His two brothers suffered from Duchenne muscular dystrophy—one passed away at the age of 19, the other at 21. His father, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, struggled for years with the wounds left by the war and eventually passed away in 2002. After all these losses, Alireza was his mother’s only source of comfort—a calm, responsible, and kind young man who always tried to be her pillar of support.

Alireza graduated with a degree in architecture but was unable to find a job in his field. To make a living, he rented a small shop in Sadra Town and provided thesis consultation to architecture students. Despite all the hardships, he remained hopeful, pursued his dreams, and worked towards building a future. But in a country where dreams are drowned in blood, he was never given a chance.

On November 16, 2019, while returning home, he was shot and killed by security forces. His family was left in anguish for a week, unaware of his fate, until they were finally handed his frozen body. Even in death, the regime denied them the right to bury him alongside his father and brothers.

In his final days, Alireza wrote on his last Instagram post:
“How wonderful it is that I can still smile… How wonderful it is that I can still feel the humanity within me…”

But this regime even stole those simple smiles from its best and brightest.

Alireza, we will never forget your name—your path lives on.