Khosrow Alikordi

Early life and education Khosrow Alikordi was born on 26 November 1979. He began his career defending protesters and political prisoners following the Iranian Green Movement in 2009.

Legal and human rights activities

Representation of political cases Alikordi began his work as a defense lawyer for protesters after the 2009 Iranian Green Movement and was subsequently summoned and interrogated by security forces multiple times. In a rare move, he filed an official complaint against three judicial officials, including the heads of branches of the Mashhad Islamic Revolutionary Court, for "disciplinary violations."

Prior to his death, Alikordi wrote a letter to the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, identifying himself as a "lawyer at risk" and requesting "necessary support," citing five security cases that had been fabricated against him.

Arrest and conviction As a result of his activities, in November 2023, the first branch of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court sentenced him on charges of "propaganda against the state" to one year in prison, two years in exile to the city of Nehbandan, a two-year ban on leaving the country, a two-year ban on practicing law, and a two-year ban on social media activity. According to reports, the criminal investigation police had initially opened a "murder" case for the incident. His brother, Javad Alikordi, stated that uncovering the truth was entirely dependent on the return of this footage "complete and without any cuts." He warned that if "even one second" of the films were missing, he would not trust the judicial system of the Islamic Republic and would "raise a cry for justice for his brother in international forums."

Reactions Alikordi's suspicious death prompted widespread reactions. Iran Human Rights called for the formation of an independent international fact-finding mission, citing the history of the Chain murders of Iran. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi called him "the voice of the nameless and voiceless prisoners," and fellow laureate Narges Mohammadi wrote that Alikordi's last wish was, "Do not let political prisoners in remote cities be forgotten."

A group of political prisoners in Vakilabad Prison issued a joint message calling him an "independent, honorable, and compassionate lawyer." Reza Pahlavi stated that "all evidence indicates that his murder is part of a new wave of eliminations of patriots," viewing his death as part of a systematic process.

Funeral Khosrow Alikordi's funeral was held on 7 December 2025, at the cemetery in Sabzevar under heavy security measures, with drones flying over the crowd. Despite this, mourners and justice-seeking families chanted slogans such as, "O Khosrow, our hero, your path continues" and "This fallen flower is a gift to the homeland."