Zahra Azadpour

Zahra Azadpour (Persian: زهرا آزادپور) was born on 7 Mehr 1377 (29 September 1998) in Eslamshahr and was 27 years old. She was a forward for the Mehregan Pardis women's football club in Iran's Women's Premier League, and had earlier played for Azarakhsh and Saba. She had been invited to a training camp of Iran's women's national team. Off the pitch she was a mountaineer who had reached the summit of Damavand, and a fan of Esteghlal who dreamed of one day playing for its women's team.

On the evening of Friday, 19 Dey 1404 (9 January 2026), during the nationwide protests in Karaj, she was shot dead by government forces. Hengaw verified that she was killed by direct gunfire, and HRANA lists her among its confirmed victims. Her name also appears, with her father's name Vali, in the list of the dead published by the government in February 2026.

Her family searched for three days before finding her body. It was handed over on 21 Dey (11 January) and she was buried that day in Eslamshahr, the city where she was born. Her death came as Iran's women's national team was preparing for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia. Teammates, friends and family gathered for her fortieth-day memorial, and a women's football page marked the day by sharing footage of her matches and training.