A cousin managed to call Payam in Brisbane with the news – but many Iranian Australians are still waiting to hear from family amid the communication blackout

According to the account provided to Payam, Eli was standing next to her older sister during a protest in Karaj, about 44km from Tehran, when she was shot dead on 8 January.

“She passed away straight away there … and the sister is going through a really rough time at the moment,” he says.

Payam says another relative was required to open hundreds of body bags before she discovered the 39-year-old’s body.

“She found her after 700 bodies,” Payam says, referring to claims made by his family in Iran.