Girl in pink jacket
Reyhaneh Soltaninejad, nicknamed the girl in the pink jacket,[1] or the girl with a pink jacket and heart earrings, was a one-and-a-half-year-old girl who became a symbol of the 2024 terrorist attacks in Kerman, Iran,[2] which occurred on January 3, 2024, during a memorial event for Qasem Soleimani, leaving more than 103 dead and 284 others injured. Reyhaneh was identified by her distinctive pink jacket and heart-shaped earrings. She was killed along with her mother, Fatemeh Soltaninejad, her brother Mohammad Amin, and five other family members.[1] According to the Tehran Times, after the incident, a picture circulated on the internet showing a short text inscribed on a small body bag: “Body parts, girl in pink jacket, heart-shaped earrings, probably 2 years old.” An emergency worker had hastily written these words to help identify the victim amid the incident.[3]
Background
On January 3, 2024, a pair of bombings occurred on the road to the Martyrs' Cemetery in Kerman, resulting in the death of at least[4] 103 people[5] and injuring around 284 others. The attacks took place during a memorial event for Qasem Soleimani, held on the fourth anniversary of his death from an American drone strike ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump. The first explosion occurred near the grave of Soleimani. Twenty minutes later,[6] a second, even more deadly, explosion occurred after crowds gathered to assist those wounded from the first.[5] Soon after the bombing, the Islamic State claimed responsibility.[6]
Reyhaneh's death
According to one of Reyhaneh's acquaintances, Reyhaneh and several other children were meant to stay at a pavilion while their mothers visited the Martyrs' Cemetery. In the afternoon, after returning, the first explosion occurred some distance away from the pavilion. The children's uncle quickly gathered his wife, his children, his sisters, and their children into a car to drive them home. They went to the parking area where the second explosion happened. Believing it was safe, he left them in the car and returned to help at the first explosion site. The second explosion occurred as his wife, sisters, and children headed towards their car to leave.[1] Reyhaneh was killed along with her mother Fatemeh, her brother, Mohammad Amin, and five other family members.[3]
A picture circulated on the internet after the incident featuring a short text on a small body bag: “Body parts, girl in pink jacket, heart-shaped earrings, probably 2 years old.” The description was hastily written by an emergency worker to help identify the victim amid the incident.[3] Reyhaneh's father, Peyman Soltaninejad, a retired police officer and war veteran,[which?] stated in an interview that his hair turned white due to the tragic incident of losing his wife and children.[1] The author of the sentence on Reyhaneh's bag was a forensic doctor, who, in an interview with Kerman Police Information Center, described a heart-wrenching moment when the bodies of martyrs were brought for identification, evoking tears from everyone present. He stated that among the martyrs, the two-year-old girl's lifeless body stood out the most, due to the explosion's intensity making her identity difficult to ascertain. She was identified by the color of her clothes and the marks of her small body. The identifier compared her death to the oppression faced the survivors of Karbala. Reflecting on his notes from the identification process, he recalled writing,"A girl with a pink jacket and heart earrings".[2]
In arts
In January 2025, a painting by Iranian artist Hassan Ruholamin was unveiled[7] at a ceremony attended by Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, and the residents of Qom. The artwork, entitled "The Two-Year-Old Girl with a Pink Jacket and Heart-Shaped Earrings,"[8] depicts the toddler's tragic fate and the loss experienced by her family.[8] Hamshahri Online published artificial intelligence art of Qasem Soleimani holding Reyhaneh in front of a number of missiles.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d "دختر کاپشن صورتی با گوشواره قلبی که بود؟+ عکس" [Who was the girl in the pink jacket with the heart earrings? + Photo]. Iranian Students' News Agency (in Persian). 6 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ a b "جمله دختری با کاپشن صورتی و گوشوارههای قلبی را چه کسی نوشت؟" [Who wrote the sentence "Girl with a pink jacket and heart earrings"?]. Hamshahri Online (in Persian). 9 January 2024. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
وی با نگاهی عمیق به دست خط خود بر روی نوشتهای که در لحظه شناسایی پیکرهای شهدا تنظیم شده بود، گفت: این مشخصات در همان لحظات سخت و جانکاه تشخیص هویت نوشته شد"دختری با کاپشن صورتی و گوشوارههای قلبی
[Reflecting at his handwriting from the notes that were made at the moment of identifying the bodies of the martyrs, he said: "A girl with a pink jacket and heart earrings" was written in the same difficult and painstaking moments of identification.] - ^ a b c "'Girl in pink jacket' comes back to hunt terrorists". Tehran Times. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ "Iran identifies alleged bomb-maker behind last week's IS twin suicide attack that killed dozens". AP News. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ a b Lee, Vivian; Fassihi, Farnaz (3 January 2024). "Bombing in Iran Kills Over 100, Sowing Confusion and Speculation". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Salem, Mostafa; Al Lawati, Abbas; Picheta, Rob; John, Tara; Atay Alam, Hande (4 January 2024). "Twin blasts kill dozens near slain Iran commander's grave". CNN World.
- ^ "Mädchen in rosa Jacke mit Herzohrring" [Girl in pink Jacket with Heart Earring]. Eslam (in German). Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Ruholamin unveils new painting on Kerman terrorist attack". Tehran Times. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ "دختر کاپشن صورتی با گوشوارههای قلبی در آغوش سردار سلیمانی" [A girl in a pink jacket with heart earrings in the arms of Sardar Soleimani]. Hamshahri Online (in Persian). Retrieved 8 February 2025.
به گزارش همشهری آنلاین، هوش مصنوعی، لبخند روی لبان کاپشن صورتی با گوشوارههای قلبی را تصویرسازی کرده است.
[According to Hamshahri Online, artificial intelligence has visualized a smile on the lips of a pink jacket with heart earrings.]