Ehsan Saleminia was a first-grade student from Minab, the only child of Ebrahim Saleminia and Fatemeh Sharifi Nejad. He was born on April 17, 2019, and was seven years old when he was killed.
His mother remembers him as a smiling, warm-hearted boy who made friends with everyone, young and old. At home, he was kind and helpful. He washed dishes, collected clothes, and when his father was away, his mother says, Ehsan became the man of the house.
He never wanted to go anywhere without her. Even when she went to the market, he followed her. Though only seven, he was her support, her companion, and her friend. If he had even one biscuit, he would break it into pieces and share it with everyone around him.
At around 11:15, his teacher, Maliheh Naeimi, who was also killed in the attack, called Ehsan’s mother and told her to come quickly because the situation was not safe. She ran toward the school. When she arrived, the building was in ruins. She called Ehsan’s name again and again, hoping he might be among the children outside.
Ehsan’s body was found the next day in one of the cold-storage facilities in Minab’s industrial town. His uncle went to identify him. His mother asked him to check the signs she knew: the bruise on his hand, the mark on his forehead, his chubby feet. But his uncle told her those parts were gone.
When she finally saw him, only his face was intact. He looked calm, as if he was asleep. She held the twenty-six kilograms of her Ehsan in her arms, but the strong, smiling little body she had known was no longer there.
His mother’s words remain as his truest memorial: “Ehsan, you were not only my son. You were my whole life.”