Her name is Bita Shafiei, and she is 19 years old.
On November 13, Bita, a resident of Shahinshahr in central Iran, was arrested by Iranian security officials, and nothing has been heard of her since.
After she recorded a video supporting Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, security agents arrested both her and her mother, who had been detained in the past. They have since disappeared into the system, their whereabouts unknown.
This came just days after IRGC security officials raided the family home searching for her mother, who was absent.
Activists inside Iran and in the diaspora have launched the “Free Bita” campaign in response.
‘I am a young woman who wants to live, not simply exist…'
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi condemned the abductions and the broader crackdown, stating: “The abduction of Bita Shafiei and arrest of her mother Maryam is just the latest example of an increasingly desperate and fractured regime, clamping down on growing protests in Iran. As Bita herself said, ‘I am a young woman who wants to live, not simply exist… My dream is to see Iran free one day.’ Bita has asked us to be her voice. We will not let her down. Bita, I salute your courage and the courage of thousands of young people like you. For you, for all of our people, Iran will rise.”
Bita is symbolic of the thousands of young women across Iran who dream of a free country in which they can express themselves without fear of imprisonment or violence.
This was not Bita’s first run-in with the authorities.
In August 2023, she was arrested during protests against chemical attacks on schools.
In a video circulated on social media at the time, Shafiei said that the government thrives on instilling fear and warned that without public support, the regime would not hesitate to use violence and extreme punishments against those protesting.
Shafiei also revealed that she had endured torture after her arrest, including the fracturing of her fingers, during her trial.
Protests did occur throughout mainland Europe over the weekend in places such as Belgium and Germany, but more awareness is needed of what is taking place in Iran right now.
Let us hope Bita Shafiei does not become another Mahsa Amini.