Hadis Najafi, a young Iranian woman who was seen stepping into the anti-hijab protests without donning a headscarf in a viral video, has been allegedly shot dead in the country, according to multiple reports.
A video of people mourning, with her picture atop a freshly-dug grave, has now gone viral on social media. According to multiple reports, she was shot by the security forces multiple times in the face, neck, heart, and abdomen.
Iran has been rocked by massive protests across the country after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. She was arrested for “improperly” wearing the hijab, a headscarf mandated for women by the law.
Medical evidence shows Amini, belonging to the Iranian province of Kurdistan, suffered several violent blows to the head, which put her into a coma, NDTV had reported.
However, Iran’s authorities have claimed that she “suffered a sudden heart attack,” Euronews reported. Amini died on 16 September.
The incident has caused fatal unrest in Iran, with women taking to the streets, chopping their hair off, burning the hijab, and even chanting, "Death to Khamenei," verbally attacking Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Over 33 people have reportedly lost their lives in the protests.
A majority of these casualties have been the result of the riot police using brute force to suppress the protestors, even using live ammunition in some cases. Hundreds have also been detained by the security forces.
The Iranian government has also blocked access to WhatsApp and Instagram.
Instagram and WhatsApp are two of the most widely used apps in Iran after the blocking of other social media platforms in recent years like Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, YouTube, and Tiktok.
The protests have also spread outside Iran to cities such as London, with people taking to the streets and the UK government sharply criticising the “killing” of Mahsa Amini.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has also expressed his support for the "brave women of Iran" while addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
"Today, we stand with the brave citizens and the brave women of Iran who right now are demonstrating to secure their basic rights."Joe Biden, US President
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