Iranian security forces shot dead a teenage motorcycle influencer who posted videos of herself online without a headscarf, human rights groups have reported.
Diana Bahador, a 19-year-old from northern Gonbad-e-Kavus known online as Baby Rider, was killed on Jan 8 in Gorgan during protests against the Islamic Republic.
She was reportedly shot twice with live ammunition around midnight, and her body was returned to her family two days later, the Hyrcani Human Rights group reported.
Iranian state media disputed the account, saying Ms Bahador’s real name was Shahrzad Mokhami, who died Jan 22 in a crash in Golestan province when she lost control and hit a highway guardrail.
A source close to Ms Bahador’s family said officials would only release the body if the family conducted a secret burial and publicly denied she was killed by government forces.
Credit: baby.rideerrrr/ Instagram
Ms Bahador’s Instagram account posted a story claiming the death resulted from an accident and asking followers not to spread rumours, though rights groups say the family made the statement under duress from intelligence services.
The influencer had 150,000 followers on Instagram, where she posted videos about her love of motorbikes and performing stunts and tricks while riding without a headscarf, both legally prohibited for women in Iran.
Her final post on Jan 6 shows her in a leather jacket dancing to Iranian music while riding.
Women in Iran face a decades-old ban on obtaining motorcycle licences, though a recent bill submitted to parliament could change that.
Baby Rider had 150,000 followers on Instagram
Rights groups say security forces used heavy weapons, including machine guns, to suppress protests in Gorgan on Jan 8, when Ms Bahador was reportedly killed.
Witnesses told human rights organisations that suppression was more intense that night compared with demonstrations the previous evening.
Protests erupted at the end of December 2025, initially sparked by the deterioration of the Iranian Rial against the US dollar amid rising inflation.
The demonstrations quickly escalated to anti-regime protests, spurred on by promises of “help” from Donald Trump, the US president.
Some Iranians blame Mr Trump and former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for the high death toll, as Iranians were encouraged by them to take to the streets in defiance of the regime.
Mr Pahlavi has been living in the US since before the 1979 revolution. He told unarmed protesters on one occasion to attack the “regime’s propaganda apparatus” as “legitimate targets”. Most of those places are guarded by armed men.
The protests have subsided since Jan 9, when clashes intensified. The following day, supporters of the Islamic Republic held rallies.
Baby Rider, above and below, embraced her love of motorbikes on social media despite women in Iran face a decades-old ban on obtaining licences for them
Showing off a motorcycle helmet
Iran’s judiciary chief warned on Monday that there would be no leniency for detainees from protests if crimes were proven, signalling a hard line against the tens of thousands arrested.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje’i told prosecutors, judges and courts across Iran that “the situation is completely clear – do not show leniency to those who killed people and security defenders in the streets”.
He warned that those who “undermine the security of the country and people will be dealt with firmly according to the law”.
Meanwhile, the US Navy’s Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility on Monday after being redirected from operations in the Indo-Pacific.
Protesters block a street during a protest in Tehran on Jan 9 – MAHSA/AFP via Getty Images
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier transited the Strait of Malacca on Jan 19, escorted by three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
The carrier strike group is now within Central Command’s area, which includes military operations in the Middle East.
Mr Trump continues to consider options for striking Iran, US media reported.
Responding to the increased US military presence in the region, Esmail Baghaei, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said Iran “has confidence in its capabilities” and warned the deployment of warships “will not create the slightest disruption in Iran’s will and seriousness to defend its existence”.
Iranian authorities also unveiled a mural on a billboard in Tehran Enghelab (Revolution) square on Sunday.
The image shows a bird’s-eye view of an aircraft carrier with damaged and exploding fighter planes on its flight deck.
The deck is strewn with bodies and streaked with blood that trails into the water behind the ship to form a pattern reminiscent of the stripes of the US flag.
A slogan is emblazoned across one corner: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”