Nouri

A U.S. citizen is suing Iran for the extrajudicial killing of her father, shot by a rooftop sniper during the mass crackdown on protests in Tehran on January 8, 2026. It is the first U.S. lawsuit arising directly from the January 2026 massacre.

At a glance

• Case: Doe v. Islamic Republic of Iran et al.
• Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
• Decided / filed: Filed November 13, 2026
• Violations: Extrajudicial killing (claimed)
• Status: Pending

What happened

On January 8, 2026, Kamran Nouri, an unarmed civilian, joined a peaceful demonstration on Pirouzi Street in eastern Tehran. A sniper on a rooftop overlooking the street shot him in the back of the head, killing him. His daughter, a U.S. citizen, brings the claim. Names are changed to protect the family.

The January 2026 massacre

Protests over economic grievances spread to all of Iran's provinces at the turn of 2026. On January 8 and 9, security forces led by the IRGC and Basij opened fire on crowds across the country, and the authorities cut the internet nationwide. Amnesty International called these the deadliest days of repression in its decades of research on Iran. Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) has published a named list of 7,007 verified deaths; Iran Human Rights counts only deaths confirmed by two independent sources, and both groups say the real toll is higher. In September 2026, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran found that the crackdown amounted to crimes against humanity.

Why it matters

• This is the first U.S. judicial action arising directly from the January 2026 massacre.
• It asks a federal court to decide whether the deliberate use of snipers and live ammunition against unarmed demonstrators is an extrajudicial killing for which Iran can be held liable under U.S. law.

Sources and coverage

Amnesty International · Human Rights Watch · The National: UN mission · Iran Human Rights

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.