Sarina Esmailzadeh

Sarina Esmailzadeh is alleged by human rights organizations to have been beaten to death in Karaj, Iran in 2022 while protesting women’s rights in her country. She had regularly posted videos to document her daily life as a teeneger living in Iran. Whether preparing meals or giving makeup tutorials, she shared her routines with viewers  as if they were friends or family members. Esmailzadeh gained a following by offering an unfiltered perspective on life as a young woman living in Iran and the restrictions that came with it. According to Amnesty International, the content included “witty quips between Sarina and her family about aspects of the Islamic Republic they disagreed with. From the mismanagement of some of the historic sites to disbelief at misogynistic religious verses written on the walls of the historic mosques they were visiting.” In one Telegram post, Esmailzadeh stated: “We’re not like the previous generation 20 years ago who didn’t know what life was like outside Iran.” In her final video, she sang along to Hozier’s “Take Me to Church”  and told her audience “My homeland feels like being in exile.”