Last week 9-year-old Kian was shot dead. He's one of 56 children killed in the Iran protests.

Warning: This story includes discussions of rape and execution that may be distressing to some readers.

Note: Media has identified Kian Pirfalak as both nine and ten years old, Mamamia is running with the former as per sources close to the family. 

In September there was Mahsa Amini. 

The 22-year-old died in custody after she was arrested and allegedly beaten by morality police in Tehran for wearing her hijab too loosely. 

Now 362 people, including 56 children, have been killed during three months of protesting in the country.

Last week, it was nine-year-old Kian Pirfalak.

The third grader was reportedly travelling with his father in a car on their way home in Izeh, in south-western Iran on Wednesday, when gunmen on motorbikes open fire. 

Kian was shot in the chest with a live round, while his father was hit three times in the back, a source told the BBC. 

The young boy died at the scene. 

According to the publication, a video posted on social media shows an unidentified male relative of Kian saying, "He was going home with his father and was targeted with bullets by the corrupt regime of the Islamic republic.

"Their car was attacked from all four sides."

Setareh Rasouli, an Iranian woman living in Australia told Mamamia the nine-year-old "was a smart kid [and] a member of his town's robotic team".

Meet 10yr old Kian Pirfalak. He wanted to become an inventer. Here he is explaining the propeller boat he made for a festival. IRI killed him with war bullets while he was going home with his father on 16 Nov in Izdeh, Khuzestan. #مهسا_امینی #کیان_پیرفلک pic.twitter.com/MyIUub12FR

— mahsa alimardani 🌒 مثلا (@maasalan) November 17, 2022

“Me. And @elonmusk”
That’s what #KianPirfalak, the 10yr old who was shot and killed by the Islamic Republic, wrote in one of his homework assignments to the question: “Who do you think is happy and lucky?”
Heartbreaking; The Islamic Republic shattered his dreams. #MahsaAmini pic.twitter.com/MAm4jjMQYv

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) November 19, 2022

Iranian officials claim the nine-year-old was killed in a "terrorist" attack carried out by an extremist group.

But Kian's mother insists her son was killed by "plainclothes forces". 

"Hear it from me myself on how the shooting happened, so they can’t say it was by terrorists because they’re lying," his mother told mourners, according to a video posted on the activist Twitter account 1500tasvir.

"Maybe they thought we wanted to shoot or something and they peppered the car with bullets… Plainclothes forces shot my child. That is it."

Setareh told Mamamia Kian's mother didn't want to give his body to the authorities "because you wouldn't know where they take the bodies".

"She tried to keep him cool inside the house and all the neighbours were helping her to bring ice from their fridges."

Watch: Young Iranian TikTokers are sharing the atrocities coming out of their country on social media. Post continues below.

Days after Kian's death, hundreds of mourners turned out for his funeral in Izeh. 

Video footage shared online shows outraged crowds chanting anti-regime slogans such as "death to Khamenei", a reference to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A massive funeral is being held for Kian Pirfalak, the 10-year-old boy killed by security agents in the city of Izeh in southwestern Iran.
The kid's death has further outraged Iranian people across the country, and many are mourning by posting videos and photos of the boy. pic.twitter.com/E93H27HITr

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) November 18, 2022

Hundreds of people chant "death to Khamenei" at the funeral of Kian Pirfalak, a 10 year old boy killed by Iranian security forces in Izeh #Iran https://t.co/FKEfastm0c

— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) November 18, 2022

Tragically Kian was only one of seven people that were killed in a shooting in Izeh that Wednesday night, according to state-run media. 

14-year-old Sepehr Maghsoodi was another. 

Just like Kian, a source told the BBC it was security personnel that fired the live rounds that killed Sepehr.

The source also claimed security forces "stole" the teenager's body from the morgue after two hours. 

Iranian security forces shot Sepehr Maghsoodi, 14, in the head with live round last night in Izeh, a source close to the family told me.

Security forces stole his body from the morgue after two hours, source said. pic.twitter.com/l73OXjBIyx

— Parham Ghobadi (@BBCParham) November 17, 2022

15,000 arrested across the country. 

Outside of the hundreds of people being killed in protests around the country, thousands are also being arrested. 

So far, it's believed around 15,000 people have been arrested in connection with the demonstrations, with the country's lawmakers calling for harsh penalties.

Earlier this month, the IRNA news agency in Iran reported 227 members of the Iranian parliament had called for severe punishment, labelling protesters "muharib", a term used in Islamic or Sharia law to describe enemies of God, which carries the death penalty. 

After this statement was released, a wave of public criticism followed. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that "Canada denounces the Iranian regime’s barbaric decision to impose the death penalty on nearly 15,000 protestors".

Rumours have since spread that the MPs didn't actually sign the statement, and instead signed one referring to those who committed murder during the protests.

Despite the speculation, Dr Keith Suter, a global futurist and media commentator told Mamamia he expects some of the nearly 15,000 people arrested will receive the death sentence. 

"I'm not sure that all 15,000 will, but certainly some will, absolutely. And Iran executes very quickly. It's not like in the United States where you can have appeals...so you could spend years in jail, undergoing various appeal processes," he explained. 

"In Iran, if they make the decision, you're dead. And so yes, of that 15,000 certainly some will be harmed, and others will die in suspicious deaths in prisons. The Iranian prisons [are] notorious for their brutality."

Children are also among those arrested, with nine the age of criminal responsibility for Iranian girls compared to 15 for boys. 

There are reports of young girls being married off to prison guards to be raped the night before their murders, as minors can't be executed if they're virgins under Iranian law. 

Read: In Iran, young girls are forced to marry prison guards. Then executed the next day.

As arrests continue, loved ones hold grave concerns for those who have been taken away. 

Setareh knows of two young women, aged 24 and 25 who were recently arrested during the protests. 

"I just heard about two sisters of my friend that they [were] going to protests and they captured them," she explained. 

"It's been a month that they [have been] in custody. They won't [let] them talk to their family members or even get a lawyer. We are so worried about everyone."

Listen to Setareh's full interview on The Quicky, Mamamia's daily news podcast. Post continues below. 

How can you help?

Right now, you can add your name to this petition calling for the Australian Government to expel Iranian diplomats.

At the time of publication, the petition has amassed over 53,000 signatures. However, time is running out before it closes tomorrow, Wednesday November 23. 

"We just want to make awareness and ask the Australian government to help us to be our voice that's the only thing that we want," Setareh told Mamamia.

A number of petitions have also been set up calling for the execution of Iranian protesters to be stopped. This petition supports seven locals who've been given the sentence and has amassed over 370,000 signatures at the time of publication. 

You can also donate to The NCRI Women's Committee, which aims to achieve equal rights for Iranian women. Funds help them improve and expand their efforts to support Iranian women's struggle.