Death of 22-Year-Old Protester Saghar Etemadi; Seventh Day of Anti-Government Protests in Iran

The seventh day of nationwide protests in Iran was marked by the news of the death of Saghar Etemadi, a 22-year-old girl from Farsan in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Forces loyal to Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, shot her in the head and face with a shotgun, and she died after being severely injured and hospitalized at Hajar Hospital in Farsan. Users on social media expressed outrage over the death of this young girl, who worked as a beautician and provided nail services. Some referred to her as another Mahsa, killed by the crimes of Khamenei's agents. In her last Instagram post before being targeted by the repressive forces, Saghar wrote: "I am just afraid that many of us will go again and it won't happen." On Saturday, street protests intensified in several cities across Iran, including Kazeroon, various areas in Tehran, Yasuj, Mashhad, Shiraz, Malekshahi in Ilam province, Hafejan in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Zahedan, Kerman, Yazd, Hamadan, and others, where protesters gathered against the brutal and repressive forces of the Islamic Republic. Some reports on social media indicated that several people were killed due to gunfire from Islamic Republic forces against protesters in Malekshahi. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, referred to the protesting people in the streets as "rioters" in a speech on Saturday morning and spoke of the necessity of serious confrontation with them. Hours after Khamenei's speech, news of the arrest of Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. military emerged, becoming the top news on Persian social media, where Iranian users compared Khamenei's future to Maduro's. Many pointed to the fates of Bashar al-Assad, Gaddafi, and Maduro, stating that this is the future of all dictatorial and bloodthirsty rulers. While many thought that Khamenei's speech and threats might reduce the scale of protests, people in various cities took to the streets with even greater intensity, shouting slogans more fervently than before. Videos from several cities showed that people stood up against the government's repressive system with greater courage than before. In Yasuj, despite the officers firing directly, protesters fought back with stones. In Malekshahi, the number of people targeted by gunfire was so high that some residents sent written messages requesting help from doctors in nearby cities and invited people with "O positive" blood type to donate blood at the hospital. Meanwhile, images circulated showing the repressive agents of the Islamic Republic storming the hospital grounds on motorcycles to take control. Tom Tugendhat, a British MP, wrote in Persian on his X account: "Among the senior officials of the Islamic Republic, how many are currently in contact with foreign intelligence services to ensure their security after a fall, exchanging confidential information?" He added that a group of regime leaders is trying to find a way to escape, stating: "When they know that many regime insiders are secretly preparing to flee, suspicion and distrust rise at the top of the regime. But this suspicion will not save them, as many of these leaders are also secretly seeking the same escape route." This post in Persian received a very positive response from Iranian users. Nighttime slogans from students at Shiraz University against the Islamic Republic and Khamenei included: "Until the cleric is buried, this homeland will not be a homeland"; a slogan from protesters in Mashhad attributed to the gunfire from repressive forces in Yasuj and the resistance of protesters against them. The President of the United States shared an article discussing "Obama's mistake" in not supporting Iranian protesters and how it was "corrected" by Trump.