Six months after Iran’s January 8–9 massacre, in which opposition-linked estimates and evidence from inside Iran place the number of dead at between 35,000 and 40,000, The Jerusalem Post is highlighting some of those killed, based on testimony provided by their families.
Among them was 23-year-old Mohammad Jamalian, an accomplished athlete who had won multiple national awards for his kung fu, according to his mother.
Jamalian was arrested one month after the January protests, after being implicated in other detainees' testimonies, given under torture, his mother told the Post.
Four days after his arrest, he was admitted to a hospital as a result of severe torture and abuse, where he spent the next month dependent on life-support machines, only conscious for two days.
Jamalian kept from his family, even in death
While his mother obtained written permission to see him, she was not allowed to visit his bedside, despite him being in a deep coma.
“They would not let me hold him in my arms, not even for a single minute. May God never forgive them,” his mother told the Post.
Jamalian died on March 20, 2026. When his family demanded the return of his body for burial, they were threatened and told that the body would not be released to them without a filed complaint, a complaint which would require the family to pay the costs of his month-long hospital stay.
“Out of fear and desperation, we did not file a complaint,” his mother said.
As no complaint was filed, no authority has accepted responsibility for his death.
“Our family has been completely devastated ever since. I myself have still not been able to come to terms with this pain,” his mother told the Post.
Jamalian was born on July 3, 2002.
“Just last Friday would have been his birthday,” his mother said.