Samaneh Zowlqadr Mazlaghani

Samaneh Zowlqadr Mazlaghani was killed on 20 November 2019, at the age of 35. Born on 27 June 1984, Samaneh lived in Tehran and was the daughter of Morteza. She joined the nationwide protests of “Aban 98,” which erupted in response to a sudden 300% increase in petrol prices. Like many Iranians, Samaneh took to the streets to stand alongside her compatriots in protest against the regime’s oppressive policies.

On that fateful day, Samaneh was part of a rally at the second square of Sadiqieh in Tehran. As had happened in the days before, security forces responded to the peaceful protest with violence, using live ammunition to target the defenseless crowds. Samaneh was shot directly in the head by a sniper, collapsing instantly to the ground. She died on the spot.

Without informing her family, security forces took Samaneh’s body away. Her family was left in despair, searching everywhere for any trace of her. They visited government offices and security agencies, but each inquiry was met with denial. Despite their relentless efforts, Samaneh’s whereabouts remained unknown for months.

For six long months, Samaneh’s body and her phone were held by the regime. Her family had no answers, no closure. It was only through an acquaintance within the police force that they finally learned her body had been in the morgue all along. The regime then summoned Samaneh’s father, demanding a written pledge that her funeral would be private, with only her parents in attendance. Her devastated father, with no other choice, agreed. They were told to come to Behesht-e-Sakineh Cemetery in Karaj for the burial two days later.

When Samaneh’s parents arrived at the cemetery, it was under tight security. The authorities allowed them only a brief moment to see her face before she was placed in the grave. Samaneh was buried in Behesht-e-Sakineh Cemetery, Plot 26, Row 13, Number 11, in a cold, lonely ceremony, with no chance for her family to properly mourn.

The protests of November 2019, later called “Bloody November,” resulted in the confirmed deaths of at least 1,500 protesters, with 5000 missing or unaccounted for. Despite the scale of the massacre, international media and human rights organizations largely remained silent and pandered to the Islamic Regime.

Samaneh Zowlqadr Mazlaghani, like many others, gave her life in the fight for freedom and democracy in Iran. Her memory, and the memory of all those lost, must be kept alive so that their sacrifice is never forgotten.