Exclusive | Vahid Shia-Zadeh's Mother: My Son Was Killed by 'Police Gunfire' Not 'In an Accident'

The mother of Vahid Shia-Zadeh, a 23-year-old from Shiraz who was a sports coach and a medalist in domestic billiards competitions, revealed in an exclusive interview with Voice of America that her son was killed by 'police gunfire' and not 'in an accident.' Ms. Roghieh Ahmadi recounts the day of the incident in her conversation with Manoochehr Pardel from the Persian section of Voice of America: 'My son had achieved national and world championship titles and was teaching other athletes; on his way back, the area of Ma'ali Abad in Shiraz was crowded, and his car had stalled. My son got out to look for a mechanic... when he was shot. Five minutes later, one of his friends who was with him called me and said Vahid had been shot and we took him to the hospital.' Roghieh Ahmadi, the grieving mother of Vahid Shia-Zadeh, describes her experience at the hospital: 'I searched everywhere, and no one would answer me. I said my son had been shot, and they were all in plain clothes. They said come here, we have a card, where is his father? I said he has no father. They said if you agree and write that it was an accident, we will hand over the body; otherwise, we will take the body with us... I said I won't let you take the body, and they said well, we will take you too. I said I will write that it was an accident, but you must show me the body.' This mother continued in the interview: 'They said you have to pay five million tomans... I said you shot him and now you want five million tomans? They said this is 'bullet money,' and even 'the hands of the Revolutionary Guards were bloody'... I called one of my acquaintances to get the money but said nothing, just told him there was an accident and to lend me the money, and I would pay him back later; ... after I gave them the money ... they said sign it was an accident, accident, and accident.' Nonetheless, the cause of death is listed as 'unknown' on the death certificate. Roghieh Ahmadi revealed in this interview that pressure and threats from security and intelligence agencies continued even after her son's burial, citing as an example: 'My son was killed on October 7, 2022; we held the funeral, and a few days after the burial, they summoned me and said to come alone on Saturday — when the cemetery is quiet — to my son's grave, and they said you must erase the date on the grave and write June 8... I asked why? They said do you want us to take your child out of the grave and move him somewhere else? I said this child is innocent; do not move him from grave to grave.' Vahid Shia-Zadeh's mother emphasized in the interview: 'I will not let go of my son's blood... I will take my child's blood back from them... I am not afraid of any of them... I am a grieving mother. I had one son, and I raised this child alone with hardship, sending him to China to win a championship. But he did not deserve to be killed by them.' The killing of 22-year-old Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in custody of the morality police on September 16, 2022, sparked ongoing protests across Iran and around the world. During these protests, over 500 people, including 71 children, were killed, and thousands were arrested, with the Islamic Republic having executed seven protesters so far. Voice of America reports for the first time: Vahid Shia-Zadeh was killed by police gunfire in Shiraz.