Iranian Woman Seen in Viral Anti-Hijab Protest Video Killed by Security Forces: Reports

New Delhi: A funeral has been held for Hadis Najafi, a young Iranian woman who was shot dead by security forces during anti-hijab protests near Tehran, Arab News reported.

The video shows people weeping over a photo of her on a freshly dug grave, Radio Farda reported.

Last week, in a TikTok video that went viral, Najafi was seen getting ready for the anti-government protests in Karaj without the hijab.

As per social media claims, later corroborated by reports, she was shot six times, and was hit by the bullets in the face and neck.

Iran has restricted internet access to Instagram and WhatsApp amid the anti-government protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, Al Jazeera reported, citing residents and internet watchdog NetBlocks.

She died on September 16 after spending three days in a coma, after the ‘morality police’ arrested her for “loosely wearing the hijab”, allegedly violating the country’s law on headscarves.

She had collapsed while in custody and was taken to hospital, where she later died. According to reports, witnesses saw the police beating her in the head with a baton and banging it against one of their vehicles. However, they denied the allegations, attributing her death to “sudden heart failure”, Euro News reported.

However, her father told an Iranian news outlet that Amini was “fit and had no health problems,” BBC News reported.

According to The Guardian, at least 41 people have died so far, as per official records, since the unrest began. However, sources told the news outlet that the real figure is higher.

Apart from Amini and Najafi, three more women have been killed by Iran’s security forces, as per social media claims. They are: 32-year-old Ghazale Chelavi, who was shot in the head in Amol city after chanting “we are all Masha Amini”; 23-year-old Hanane Kia; and 18-year-old Mahsa Mogoi, who died in Isfahan during the protests.

This article was first published on The Wire.

Featured image: Hadis Najafi, a 23-year-old Iranian woman, who was killed by security forces during anti-hijab protests near Tehran, Iran. Photo: Twitter