Nahid Mostafapour

Nahid Mostafapour (May 22, 1987 – November 1, 2022)

Nahid Mostafapour was born on May 22, 1987 in Yasuj, Iran, and later lived in Tehran. She was originally from a family rooted in Yasuj and was described as an intelligent and high-achieving student from an early age.
She pursued a strong academic path and achieved a national university entrance exam rank of 18. She went on to study electrical engineering at the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran, where she completed her master’s degree. According to reports, she had also received admission to a PhD program in the United States and was planning to move there in December 2022 with her husband to continue her studies.
Following the nationwide protests in Iran in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, Nahid Mostafapour’s name appeared in various reports and accounts connected to the events.
According to these accounts, she was arrested on November 1, 2022, during protests in Tehran. It is further claimed that after approximately nine days, her body was transferred through the Kahrizak forensic medical center and handed over to her family. The official cause of death was reportedly stated as “COVID-19,” a claim that her family and some sources have disputed.
Her burial took place in Yasuj in 2022, reportedly under strict security measures and with limited public information. Some accounts state that she was laid to rest in the Dolatabad cemetery, in a quiet and controlled ceremony.
Following her death, it has been alleged that security forces pressured her husband to declare COVID-19 as the cause of death. These claims, however, remain part of disputed and unverified reports.
In personal and activist-style narratives circulated online, she is portrayed as a highly educated young woman whose future was cut short amid the unrest. Some texts describe her as someone who chose to participate in the protests despite her academic achievements and future plans abroad, expressing frustration with inequality and restrictions.
These narratives frame her as part of a broader generation of young Iranians whose lives became intertwined with the 2022 protest movement.