Setareh Motazedi

1 – Iranian schoolgirls have been at the forefront of the women's freedom movement in Iran, after the police killing of Mahsa Jina Amini. They have been protesting against mandatory hijabs and have faced alleged chemical gas attacks during protests since November 2022, with reports of thousands of students being affected in subsequent months.

3 – Nika Shakarami was a 16-year-old Iranian girl who disappeared in Tehran on September 20, 2022 during a protest that ensued after the police killing of Mahsa Jina Amini. She was last seen burning her headscarf as she stood on a dumpster. Shortly after, she was pursued by security forces. Her body was discovered ten days later in a morgue, bearing signs of violence and torture.

4 – Sistan Baluchestan, in southeastern Iran and bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, is primarily inhabited by the Baloch people, a Sunni Muslim ethnic group and a religious minority. The region has a history of discrimination against the Baloch community. In 2022, protests erupted following the reported rape of a 15-year-old girl by a police commander, evolving into broader anti-state demonstrations after the police killing of Mahsa Jina Amini. On September 30, 2022, security forces in Zahedan, the provincial capital, fired on protesters, leading to the tragic "Zahedan's Bloody Friday," claiming the lives of at least 82 people and injuring hundreds. This largest and poorest province in Iran continues to face government discrimination against its inhabitants.

5 – Khodanour Lojei, a 27-year-old Baluchi protester from the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan was killed during the Zahedan massacre on September 30, 2022. A photograph circulated widely, showing him with his hands tied to a flagpole while a cup of water sat out of his reach. The Iranian authorities posted this image online with the intention to further humiliate him.