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On September 25, journalist and women's rights activist Masih Alinejad announced the death of Hadis Najafi, a 20-year-old feminist activist.
Najafi was allegedly shot by police officers during anti-hijab protests in Karaj, an Iranian city near Tehran. She reportedly sustained gunshot wounds to her neck, heart, hand and abdomen. Following the incident, she was taken to Ghaem Hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The current spate of anti-hijab protests intensified on September 17, after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old girl from Iran's Kurdish community who died after being placed under police custody for supposedly defying the nation's anti-hijab laws.
How Hadis Najafi became a symbol of Iran's anti-hijab protests
In a video posted by Twitter user @dpatrikarakos, Hadis Najafi (incorrectly identified as a 23-year-old) can be seen tying up her hair as she prepares to participate in the protests.
She is not wearing a hijab, in direct defiance of Iranian laws that require women to cover their hair, arms, and legs while in public spaces.
Newsweek reported that through the simple act of tying up her hair while wearing a T-shirt, Najafi was making a bold statement about female autonomy despite the nation's rigid laws against women. Her video has since gone viral, making her a symbol of the movement.
In an interview journalist Masih Alinejad, Najafi's sister revealed that officers shot her sibling six times:
"She was only 20 years old. Her heart was broken for Mahsa Amini. She said she would not stay silent. They killed her with six bullets.”
On Twitter, Alinejad discussed how crucial it is that young women like Hadis Najafi and Mahsa Amini rise to the status of martyrs within Iran's feminist movement.
She said:
"Hadis Najafi 21 Yr old girl must become another symbol like #MahsaAmini, because she didn't keep silent in the face of tyranny. She got killed for the crime of protesting the brutal death of Mahsa. I call on world to be the voice of #HadisNajafi too. A true hero."
According to JPost, the nation is still seeing clashes between protesters and police officials, particularly in the Northwestern cities of Urmia, Rasht and Tabrez. Iran Wire reported that local outlets have confirmed 35 deaths in the protests, though the death tolls provided by foreign organizations are higher.
