Hadis Najafi walked to the streets of Karaj last week to protest Iran’s compulsory hijab policy and was subsequently shot and killed. She was not outspoken about women’s liberation, but she enjoyed sharing her life on social media with her fans.
She was not an activist or an online advocate for women’s liberation, yet she was gunned down in her hometown for advocating for her right to live and dress as she pleased.
Hadis Najafi, 23 years old, was shot and killed last week after taking to the streets of Karaj to protest Iran’s tight hijab law.
Her killing has stoked the fires of resentment in a nation already grappling with the harsh control of the so-called morality police.
Hadis was a young woman from Iran’s Generation Z who grew up in the internet and social media era.
These digital natives are connected to the rest of the globe in a way their parents could never have dreamed, much like all other Zoomers.
Hopes for a brighter future
Hadis, an active user of TikTok and Instagram, delighted in sharing her life with her fans.
She was not outspoken about women’s emancipation, but on her TikTok account, she posted videos of herself dancing to the current viral trend, including to pop music and Iranian musicians.
Her social media accounts would have fit in anywhere in the world. She danced around her room in flashy attire, smiling and pouting before the camera.
She worked as a cashier in a restaurant and enjoyed uploading fashion photos on Instagram, arranging her hair both with and without a hijab, but only in the privacy of her home or other private locations.
In Iran, all women must wear hijabs in public, regardless of faith or nationality.
A close acquaintance characterized her as “constantly cheerful and vivacious.”
Then, unrest occurred following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in police custody on September 16. She had been jailed for wearing her hijab too loosely.
The outrage over her death erupted into some of the largest protests the country has seen in years, and the anger of a generation of women who had grown accustomed to online freedom flooded onto the streets.
Women removed their head coverings and burned them as others captured the scenes on their mobile devices and uploaded them to social media, where they were disseminated globally.
According to the internet blockage observatory NetBlocks, the authorities have banned internet connection in numerous provinces to impede protests
The woman, whose identity will not be published for her safety, responded, “Not at all.”
While on her way to the demonstration, Hadis sent a video to her pals in which she discussed her dreams for a better future.
She said, “In the end, I’ll be glad… when everything is changing.”
After one hour, she was shot.
The family was not permitted to see her body for days.
According to her companion, she was repeatedly shot by Iranian police for wearing a hijab and advocating women’s right to veiling freely.
Her relatives went to the hospital to visit her, but they were denied entry.
“Several nurses told her family to go since Hadis had participated in the riots and they too could be targeted if the police arrived,” her companion explained.
“The husband of one of Hadis’s sisters is a Basij [Iranian paramilitary volunteer force] member, therefore he was granted access to the mortuary to perform the official identification. Only he remains.
They prevented her family from seeing her.
After two days, the family agreed with the authorities not to hold a public funeral.
“Friday morning, they allowed her sobbing mother and sisters to see her face to ensure that they were burying the correct individual. Due to the agreement, there wasn’t a proper funeral.
“After her burial, her sisters Afsoon and Shirin decided to publish her photographs and inform the public that she had been shot. The police didn’t want anyone to believe she was shot, so they instructed them to say she died in a vehicle accident, suffered brain damage, or passed away naturally.”
Unmasked forces open fire on demonstrators
The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, has vowed to examine Ms. Amini’s killing but warned that the government will not accept any threats to public safety.
He stated that demonstrators should be “dealt with decisively,” and as a result, the police response has been fast, severe, and violent.
On September 21, a film of masked men firing directly and at close range at demonstrators on Eram Boulevard, where her friend said Hadis was last seen alive, was posted online for the first time.
Even though Hadis is absent from this tape, it demonstrates that Iranian police have been accused of employing excessive force against protesters on multiple occasions.
In addition, Hadis is not the only lady who has been murdered. In the past week, the identities of at least four other women reported to have died during the protests have gone viral.
She acted valiantly and became a martyr.
Her family uploaded tributes to Hadis shortly after her passing, and her photograph became popular worldwide.
Shiirin, Hadis’s sister, later released footage of her family holding images of her at her grave.
Alongside the video, she added: “My heart breaks for you, Ajim. You, my angel, were martyred.”
Her buddy told, “I and her family and friends would like everyone to know the name Hadis and that my friend valiantly went to her death as a martyr.”
Her mother shared a video on her sister’s Instagram account on Wednesday, stating that she was only able to speak publicly “with the aid of medication.”
She takes a moment to compose herself before speaking.
“My daughter was murdered because of the hijab, because of Mahsa Amini,” she stated, addressing the camera directly.
“She went to the protest and was slain by bullet wounds to the heart, stomach, and neck. When we examined her body, we found that her face and body were bruised.”
She confirmed that the family was not let to enter the hospital and stated, “they hurled insults at us.
“They refused to provide her body to us. They refused to disclose the location of her body “She stated,
“Hadis, my beloved, was the apple of my eye.
“Please do not bother her sisters. Please refrain from making us feel worse than we already do.
“Mahsa is my daughter as well. And each victim is one of my children. She devoted herself to Mahsa by sacrificing her life; she died for her.”
