Mahsa Amini's death in police custody in September 2022—following her arrest for wearing her hijab improperly—ignited the nationwide 'Woman Life Freedom' uprising, a protest against decades of inequality and oppression in Iran.

Dr. Aida Rostami was a dedicated physician who was tortured to death for providing medical treatment to anti-regime protesters during the ‘Woman Life Freedom' uprising in 2022.

Iran publicly hanged 23-year-old Majidreza Rahnavard as a warning to those participating in the anti-government protests of the 'Woman Life Freedom' movement.

If you reach out to caress a head here, a hundred stars shine in the eyes; if you utter a single word of love here, it is like water quenching furious fires.

—Mahvash Sabet

In fact, it is quite enough for me

just to look forward to that immensity

– of air –

even if I never reach it, never get there.

—Mahvash Sabet

Whenever you’re feeling captive, like a bird,
whenever you’re cornered, like a weary stranger,
whenever you’re lost, and see no way ahead,
thinking of home with joy but with no way there –
remember me.
—Mahvash Sabet

These three young lives were lost to direct gunfire by Iranian security forces while in their parents' vehicles. Their stories highlight the regime’s devastating impact on innocent children and their families.

Nika Shakarami was filmed burning her headscarf during the 2022 ‘Woman Life Freedom' protests. During her detention, she was subjected to severe abuse, which led to her death.

Nina Golestani, an Iranian women's rights activist, was sentenced to prison on August 13, 2024, alongside four other women activists known for their work in media and environmental fields.

On International Women’s Day 2019, Yasaman Aryani and her mother removed their headscarves on a women-only train to protest forced veiling in Iran. As they distributed flowers, Yasaman expressed hope for a future where all women could choose their attire freely, 'me without the hijab and you with the hijab.' Their protest led to their arrest and imprisonment.

Shidrokh Amirkia Baqa, a Baha’i and community leader in Tehran, Iran, was executed in 1982 after enduring imprisonment and torture due to her religious beliefs. Her story is part of the tragic history of the mass executions in Iran during the 1980s, where an estimated 30,000 individuals were killed for their beliefs. 

Ahmad Batebi is an Iranian activist who faced brutal torture and a death sentence for his role in the 1999 student protests. His sentence was commuted after international outcry and he later escaped to the U.S., where he was granted asylum.

Neda Agha-Soltan was shot and killed during the 2009 ‘Green Movement’ protests in Iran. Her death, captured on video, highlighted the extreme violence faced by protesters challenging the regime and became a symbol of the struggle for political and social change.

Vida Movahed sparked the 2017 'Girls of Revolution Street' protests in Iran by climbing atop an electrical box, removing her veil, and waving it on a stick to protest forced hijab laws. Her act inspired other women to replicate her protest. She was subsequently arrested and sentenced to prison.

Iran’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been arrested 13 times and sentenced to 32 years in prison and 154 lashes, all for her peaceful advocacy for gender equality and human rights.