Hamed Esmaeilion

Hamed Esmaeilion (born 12 March 1977) is an Iranian-Canadian dentist, author, and activist who became one of the most prominent voices of the Iranian diaspora opposition after losing his wife Parisa Eghbalian and nine-year-old daughter Reera in the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 shootdown on 8 January 2020. The IRGC Aerospace Force shot down the passenger aircraft with two surface-to-air missiles shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard.

Esmaeilion co-founded the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims and served as its president and spokesperson, leading legal and advocacy campaigns for accountability. He resigned from the association on 7 March 2023 to focus on broader opposition work.

During the Mahsa Amini protests, Esmaeilion emerged as a key organiser of diaspora solidarity rallies, coordinating demonstrations on 1 October 2022 in over 150 cities worldwide and a major Berlin rally on 22 October 2022 that drew an estimated 80,000–100,000 participants. He joined a loose coalition with Reza Pahlavi and Masih Alinejad to amplify the Woman, Life, Freedom movement internationally.

Before his activism, Esmaeilion was a published novelist. His works include Thyme is not Fair (2008) and Dr. Datis (2013), both recognised by the Hooshang Golshiri Literary Awards. He emigrated from Iran to Canada in 2010 and practises dentistry in Richmond Hill, Ontario.