About

Sarina Saedi, a passionate and brave 15-year-old protester, tragically lost her life amidst the tumult of Iran’s 2021 protests. On October 26, aligning with the 40th day memorial of Mahsa Amini’s death, Sarina was severely injured by baton strikes to her head during a demonstration in Sanandaj and succumbed to her injuries later that night while asleep at her father’s home. Despite her young age, witnesses say she was always at the forefront, inspiring others to follow her lead. On the day she was fatally injured, officers struck her on the head on Shesh-e Bahman Street in Sanandaj. Her audacious spirit was also evident in school, where she tore down images of the Islamic Republic’s founder and leader from her textbooks and classroom, openly challenging the regime’s symbols of authority.

Returning home from school on the day of her injury, Sarina collapsed outside her house. Alerted by neighbors, her brother rushed her inside. According to a close family source speaking to BBC, Sarina had been involved in writing slogans with her classmates, actions that had already put her on the school security’s radar, branding her as the leader of school protests. On that fateful day, after school, she complained of dizziness and vision problems to her grandmother, saying she sometimes saw darkness or couldn’t see at all. Despite collapsing again in the street that evening and being taken home by neighbors, she downplayed her condition as hunger and tiredness, likely fearing recognition and repercussions for her protest activities.

The government’s response to her death involved coercion and manipulation, attempting to silence her family with threats and forcing her father into making a televised confession that contradicted the truth. Security forces detained her father under distress until he complied with their narrative, while simultaneously offering money to the family to avoid publicizing the real cause of her death. Sarina’s father, in defiance, later stated on social media, “I won’t sell my daughter’s blood,” urging the public to see through the regime’s lies. Sarina’s funeral turned into a significant anti-government gathering, where chants against the Islamic Republic’s leader echoed her unyielding spirit. Even after her death, the family faced continuous harassment, with her father later detained and sentenced under trumped-up charges, highlighting the ongoing struggle and bravery of those daring to stand against oppression. Sarina’s story, from her active participation in protests to the regime’s attempts to cover up her death, epitomizes the deep-rooted desire for change among Iran’s youth and the severe risks they face in pursuit of freedom and justice.