Jamileh Shafiei was killed on January 10, 2026, during popular protests in the city of Arak, after security forces opened direct fire.
The 66-year-old mother, according to eyewitnesses, attempted to shield young protesters by placing herself between security forces and demonstrators. She was shot at close range and died at the scene.
Following her killing, members of Jamileh Shafiei’s family were subjected to severe security pressure. Her burial was carried out seven days later, in secrecy, in a village near Arak.
Her daughter wrote the following on her Instagram page about the martyrdom of her heroic mother:
“On the first night, my mom was chanting slogans right in their own alley, and on the night of January 9th, she headed downtown. Her friend told me, ‘It was as if your mother was a completely different person that night. She was moving so fast. I grabbed her hand once or twice. She just kept repeating, I’m so glad we came! What is this life and all these material belongings we’ve chained ourselves to?“
My mother had chosen her path. I believe she first stood eye-to-eye with freedom, and only then with the brutality of her killer.”
Zahra Molouki, the daughter of Jamileh Shafiei, now lives with her 70-year-old father. In the post she shared in memory of her mother, she also wrote: “If only a single loophole remains of the internet, I will scream her name for as long as I live.”
