A Brave Life Ended Too Soon
Roxana Amiri Kia (known as Ghazal), 22 years old, a first-year dental student at Shiraz University in southern Iran, lost her life on October 11, 2022, after brutal beatings by regime forces during nationwide protests.
She was among the young voices demanding freedom and change, determined to see her country liberated.
On October 10, Roxana Amiri Kia joined a peaceful protest in Ma’aliabad of Shiraz. In response, security forces attacked her and her fellow students with unrestrained violence. According to a close family member, security forces struck her repeatedly with batons, focusing blows on her head. Roxana, gravely injured, returned to her dormitory that night, but with hospitals heavily monitored, she feared seeking medical help.
By the following day, her condition worsened. Her friends rushed her to the hospital, but tragically, it was too late. Roxana Amiri Kia, or Ghazal, passed away in the hospital, her life stolen by the very forces meant to protect her.
Adding to the family’s heartbreak, regime agents threatened her relatives, warning that if they spoke about her death, her sibling would also be in danger. In a final act of dishonesty, the regime publicly claimed that Roxana died due to COVID-19.
Roxana’s story is one of profound loss and bravery, as her life was taken simply because she dreamed of a free and just Iran.
