Hadis Najafi, a young Iranian woman whose viral video showed her stepping into the middle of a protest while tying her uncut hair up, was reportedly shot and murdered there.

Medical documents show that before entering into a coma, the young woman from the Iranian province of Kurdistan was forcefully shot in the head numerous times. According to Iranian authorities, according to Euronews, she “suffered a sudden heart attack.”

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Who was Hadis Najafi?

Hadis Najafi was a 20-year-old living in Kurdistan. Security officers allegedly shot her in the chest, face, and neck with indiscriminate bullets.

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist, posted a video of Najafi’s funeral and described her as a sweet girl who loved to dance.

“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,” Masih Alinejad quoted Najafi’s sister.

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Najafi was well-known on the social media platforms Instagram and TikTok. A video of Najafi getting ready for a protest and typing her hair into a ponytail went viral.

According to reports, Najafi was taken to Ghaem Hospital and pronounced dead. Hacked medical records confirmed that the 20-year-old died as a result of brain swelling.

Despite a crackdown by police and security forces, protests in Iran have continued. There have been numerous reports of security forces openly firing on protestors. Najafi was one of the protesters killed during the crackdown.

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On September 16, nationwide protests against Mahsa Amini‘s death began in Iran. Some women have removed or set fire to their headscarves to show their support. Some have even shaved their heads in public.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been required to wear the hijab. Due to the unpopularity of the policy, Iranian women frequently wear their headscarves loosely around their ears or let them hang down to their necks. The rule’s implementation in 1981 sparked widespread protests, which have continued to this day.