Intellinews

Diana Bahador, a 19-year-old motorcycle influencer from Gonbad-e-Kavus near the border with Turkmenistan, was one of the people shot dead by security forces in Gorgan on January 8 during anti-government protests, human rights groups reported on January 27.

Bahador has reached fame following beforedeath, with her likeness going viral around the world, with several newspapers across the globe using the young woman as one of the key faces of the recent mass government killings in the country at the start of January.

Diana was admired for her distinctive style, control over powerful motorcycles and videos posted without a headscarf, defying Iran's mandatory hijab laws as well as driving a motorcycle, something which was frowned upon by the local government and technically banned for women due to it showing "revealing" body parts, according to previous Islamic rulings.

The Hyrcani Human Rights group reported Bahador was shot twice with live ammunition around midnight on January 8 by security agents. After her family searched for two days, they received her body on January 10, Iranian human rights pages reported.

According to sources, Bahador participated in protests on the nights of January 8 and 9. The crackdown in Gorgan on January 8 was reportedly brutal, with security forces allegedly deploying heavy weapons, including machine guns, against protesters.

A post appeared on Bahador's Instagram page claiming she died in a traffic accident, stating: "The incident for dear Diana was due to a crash. The family is deeply grieving. Please do not create rumours."

State broadcaster IRIB disputed accounts of her shooting, claiming her real name was Shahrzad Mokhami, who died on January 22 in a crash in Golestan province when she lost control and hit a highway guardrail.

Families of protest victims are often threatened with arrest of their other children and charged per bullet which killed their children, according to sources in Tehran who spoke with IntelliNews on January 24.

The killing occurred during widespread protests that began in late December 2025 against the sharp fall of the Iranian rial and deteriorating economic conditions.

Death toll estimates vary dramatically, with US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency stating at least 6,126 have been killed, whilst documents reviewed by Iran International put the January 8-9 crackdown death toll at over 36,500 people. Iranian authorities stated 3,117 people were killed, of whom 2,427 were civilians and security forces.

Time magazine reported on January 25 that a specific list included 30,304 protest-related deaths registered in civilian hospitals for January 8 and 9 alone. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged "thousands of people" had been killed, blaming US President Donald Trump for the massacre and calling protesters rioters and terrorists affiliated with the US and Israeli governments.

The extended unrest coincided with an 18-day nationwide internet shutdown that inflicted daily losses of approximately IRR5trn ($3.29mn) on the national economy, according to Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi.