Hananeh Kia: A young woman full of life, dreams, and love.
Provided by The Victims’ Families for Transitional Justice.
Hananeh Kia was a young woman full of life, dreams, and love. At just 22 years old, she had recently gotten engaged, preparing to embark on a new chapter of her life. But that future was stolen from her. On September 21, 2022, as she returned home from a dentist appointment in Nowshahr, Iranian security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters. A bullet tore through her side. She never made it home.
Hananeh was not a protester that day, but she was an Iranian woman, and in the eyes of the regime, that was enough. The same forces that had taken the life of Mahsa (Jina) Amini days before now took hers. Her crime? Simply existing in a country where women demanding dignity is met with bullets.
Her tragic death sparked an outpouring of grief and rage. Because she was engaged, people gave her a new name—"The Bride of Iran." In her white engagement dress, she was supposed to begin a new life. Instead, she became a symbol of everything the Iranian people were fighting for: a stolen future, a stolen love, a stolen life.
On September 23, she was buried under heavy security. The regime feared her even in death. But the people of Iran did not forget. On the 40th day after her killing, crowds gathered in Nowshahr to honor her. They marched, chanting against the regime, refusing to be silenced despite the brutal crackdown. Security forces attacked the mourners, firing tear gas, but the people stood their ground.
Even in death, Hananeh’s presence grew stronger. Iranian filmmaker Shahin Samadpour created a documentary about her killing, but the regime quickly silenced him, shutting down his social media and arresting him. But they could not erase her memory. Her father, heartbroken and defiant, wrote on the eve of Yalda Night:
"Each minute without you is thousands of minutes of pain."
Her family’s suffering did not end with her murder. In September 2023, as the anniversary of her killing approached, Iranian security forces raided her family home, arresting her mother, father, sister, and fiancé. Their crime? Keeping Hananeh’s memory alive.
But the world remembers Hananeh. She was not just a victim—she was a daughter, a sister, a fiancée, a young woman full of dreams. She was every Iranian woman who has been told to stay silent, to accept injustice, to shrink herself to survive. And like thousands of other women before her, she refused.
The Islamic Republic tried to bury her story. Instead, she became a legend. The Bride of Iran will forever be remembered—not in silence, but in the voices of those who continue her fight for freedom.
Provided by The Victims’ Families for Transitional Justice.
Hananeh Kia was a young woman full of life, dreams, and love. At just 22 years old, she had recently gotten engaged, preparing to embark on a new chapter of her life. But that future was stolen from her. On September 21, 2022, as she returned home from a dentist appointment in Nowshahr, Iranian security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters. A bullet tore through her side. She never made it home.
Hananeh was not a protester that day, but she was an Iranian woman, and in the eyes of the regime, that was enough. The same forces that had taken the life of Mahsa (Jina) Amini days before now took hers. Her crime? Simply existing in a country where women demanding dignity is met with bullets.
Her tragic death sparked an outpouring of grief and rage. Because she was engaged, people gave her a new name—"The Bride of Iran." In her white engagement dress, she was supposed to begin a new life. Instead, she became a symbol of everything the Iranian people were fighting for: a stolen future, a stolen love, a stolen life.
On September 23, she was buried under heavy security. The regime feared her even in death. But the people of Iran did not forget. On the 40th day after her killing, crowds gathered in Nowshahr to honor her. They marched, chanting against the regime, refusing to be silenced despite the brutal crackdown. Security forces attacked the mourners, firing tear gas, but the people stood their ground.
Even in death, Hananeh’s presence grew stronger. Iranian filmmaker Shahin Samadpour created a documentary about her killing, but the regime quickly silenced him, shutting down his social media and arresting him. But they could not erase her memory. Her father, heartbroken and defiant, wrote on the eve of Yalda Night:
"Each minute without you is thousands of minutes of pain."
Her family’s suffering did not end with her murder. In September 2023, as the anniversary of her killing approached, Iranian security forces raided her family home, arresting her mother, father, sister, and fiancé. Their crime? Keeping Hananeh’s memory alive.
But the world remembers Hananeh. She was not just a victim—she was a daughter, a sister, a fiancée, a young woman full of dreams. She was every Iranian woman who has been told to stay silent, to accept injustice, to shrink herself to survive. And like thousands of other women before her, she refused.
The Islamic Republic tried to bury her story. Instead, she became a legend. The Bride of Iran will forever be remembered—not in silence, but in the voices of those who continue her fight for freedom.