Hadis Najafi

The rise of social media has brought down many barriers between people around the world, in particular teenagers and the younger generation. And many older people have been busy raising alarms about a generation referred to as Gen Z, and how their ‘self-obsessed’ personalities might damage the cultural achievements of humans. If you want an example of how those worries are unfounded, look at the life and tragic death of Hadis, who was a typical Gen Z teenage girl and very active on social media. Yet, expressing herself on social media and trying to enjoy life, did not make her forget about higher values that should be dear to every human, values such as freedom, and the right to live a normal life with freedom and dignity.

She, like many other teenage boys and girls in Iran, came to the streets to demonstrate against the regime after the tragic death of Mahsa Amini. Her death was announced on September 25th, 9 days after the death of Mahsa. Her young body was pierced by many bullets. She has also become a symbol of resistance in Iran. A symbol of a generation who wants what many other teenagers in the world have. A normal life, the freedom to sing and dance and to love, and to live in a country where happiness is not a crime.

All responsible for his death will be held accountable for their crime. We will not forget, we will not forgive.