As the fortieth day of the martyrs of the January 2026 uprising approached, various cities across Iran became the scene of ceremonies that in many cases went beyond traditional mourning rituals and turned into open displays of protest, solidarity, and renewed commitment to the path of those who lost their lives.
Nurabad Mamasani; protest chants
In Nurabad Mamasani, located in Fars province, the fortieth day ceremony was accompanied by explicit slogans against the ruling establishment. Participants chanted “Death to Khamenei,” referring to regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei, “I will kill the one who killed my brother,” and “We swear by Arman’s blood, we will stand until the end,” emphasizing their determination to continue the path of the martyrs.
In this city, the memorial for Arman Gorjian, a 19-year-old young man, had a special prominence. His family engraved the name “Arman Iran” on his gravestone.
Kazerun and Kuhchenar in Fars province; flower-strewn graves
In Kazerun, the fortieth day ceremony for martyrs Iman Mirshokari and Behnam Enayat was held with the participation of local residents. The slogan “This fallen flower has become a gift to the homeland” shaped the atmosphere of the ceremony; a chant that has become a symbol of many such commemorations.
In Kuhchenar, also in Fars province, the site where two martyrs of the uprising, Reza Shahrivar and Arian Keshkouli, were killed was covered with flowers. This symbolic act, carried out in the presence of local residents, simultaneously conveyed respect and protest.
Karaj; a farewell with song and collective singing
In the Hesar district of Karaj, near Tehran, the burial of Mohammad Hossein Jamshidi had a different atmosphere. Mourning here was expressed not in silence but in collective singing; an approach that in recent months has become a symbol of protest mourning.
Babol; Shayan’s moving words for his father, Hassan Samakoosh
In Babol, in northern Iran’s Mazandaran province, the fortieth day ceremony for Hassan Samakoosh included a speech by his son, Shayan. In a powerful statement, he said, “We are Iranian for what we build, not for what we have lost.” His account of the moment his father lost his life, likening it to a star attaching itself to the ceiling of the sky, deeply moved those present. At the end, the crowd collectively sang “Ey Iran,” a well-known patriotic anthem, to honor his memory.
Arak; martyr Ermia Fazli
In Arak, the fortieth day ceremony for martyr Ermia Fazli took place despite reported arrests at the cemetery entrance by security forces. People gathered at his gravesite. Ermia’s mother spoke with words filled with longing for her son, and the ceremony was held with music and a large turnout of attendees.
Masjed Soleyman and Isfahan; remembering Mehran Niayesh and Mohammad Javad Khalili Ardeli
In Masjed Soleyman, the fortieth day ceremony was held for martyr Mehran Niayesh, a 33-year-old man who died after being arrested in Baharestan, a city in Isfahan province.
In Isfahan, the fortieth day ceremony for martyr Mohammad Javad Khalili Ardeli was accompanied by the traditional “Kotal” ritual, in which a black-draped horse carrying a rifle on its saddle is led in procession.
Malekshahi in Ilam province; a symbolic wedding at the gravesite
In Malekshahi, in Ilam province, the fortieth day ceremony for martyr Mohammad Reza Karami, a 16-year-old teenager, was marked by holding a “symbolic wedding” at his gravesite. His family resisted pressures aimed at altering the description of how their son lost his life.
Gorgan; white doves for Reza Asadi
In Gorgan, the fortieth day ceremony for uprising martyr Reza Asadi, a 30-year-old man, was held with the singing of “Ey Iran” and the release of white doves. His brother spoke in a message about continuing his path, and the crowd joined together in chanting, “This fallen flower has become a gift to the homeland.”
Tehran; farewell to a national athlete
In Tehran, the fortieth day ceremony was held for martyr Ali Mohammad Kordkazemi, a 22-year-old basketball player for the Oghab Ashur team. He lost his life at Kaj Square in the Saadat Abad district of the capital.
Genaveh; preparations for Karim Heydari’s ceremony
In the port city of Genaveh in Bushehr province, on the occasion of the fortieth day of martyr Karim Heydari, a 31-year-old father of a three-year-old child, a heavy presence of Basij paramilitary forces, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was reported. He had joined protesters while returning home in his work clothes and was shot. His body was handed over to his family after one week. His ceremony is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, but security forces, with a large presence around the family home, are reportedly seeking to prevent it.
In the village of Badkhoreh in Asadabad, Hamadan province, the fortieth day ceremony for martyr Nima Najafi, 19 years old, was held.
Separate ceremonies were also held for martyrs Alireza Kharpour, Ali Salehpour, and other martyrs of the uprising, in which written messages by sisters and family members formed an important part of the collective memory of this movement.
