Tehran/Beirut/Geneva, 01 April 2026: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) mourns with deep sorrow the death of Alireza Sohbatlou, a 35-year-old relief worker of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS). He was killed on the morning of Tuesday 31 March in an airstrike in the northwestern province of Zanjan, while doing what he had done for 15 years - helping others.  

The IFRC grieves in solidarity with his family, his loved ones, and his fellow IRCS colleagues. Alireza is the third Iranian Red Crescent volunteer to be killed in just one month of conflict. Three lives have ended while they were saving others in Iran. This must stop.  

Alireza was a humanitarian. He was a colleague, a person who chose - for 15 years - to give his time, skills and expertise assisting others, through the Zanjan branch of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS). At the time of the strike, Alireza was at the Hussainiya clinic providing humanitarian services to those in need, when the nearby religious site Azam Hussainiya of Zanjan was hit.  

The Red Crescent emblem is an internationally recognized symbol of neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian assistance; its use is established by law. The symbol identifies those who wear it as people there to help. Ensuring the protection of humanitarians wearing the emblem is not only a moral issue, but an imperative international legal norm. The safety of those protecting and assisting others must be ensured 

In 2026 alone, ten members of the IFRC network globally have now lost their lives in line of duty. Each one leaves behind them families who loved them, friends and colleagues who will miss them, and communities who needed them. Alireza was one of them.  

For more information: [email protected]     

In Beirut:    
Mey Al Sayegh, +961 761 744 68     

In Geneva:   
Tommaso Della Longa, +41 79 708 4367