Asal Shafiei

Asal Shafiei was a 21-year-old university student in her final year in Tehran. Like many of her generation, she was full of hope and believed in the power of unity. She joined the protests in Tehran under the tragic assumption that “large crowds are safer,” believing that the sheer number of people would protect them from state violence.

On the day of the incident, Asal texted her mother, excitedly describing the massive scale of the protests. Worried for her safety, her mother urged her to come home immediately. As Asal attempted to leave the crowd to heed her mother’s wish, she was targeted by security forces. She was shot in the head and collapsed instantly.

For seven agonizing days, her family did not know her fate. They searched every hospital and prison in Tehran, holding onto hope, only to eventually receive the devastating news that Asal had been killed on the very day she vanished. Public posts also described wounds consistent with a sharp-object injury and gunshot from behind.

A digital memorial of her life remains on her X account: x.com/asawl_xr.