DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The mom of a 16-year-old Iranian woman has disputed official claims that her daughter fell to her demise from a excessive constructing, saying the teenager was killed by blows to the pinnacle as a part of the crackdown on anti-hijab protests roiling the nation.
Nasreen Shakarami additionally stated authorities stored her daughter Nika’s demise a secret for 9 days after which snatched the physique from a morgue to bury her in a distant space, towards the household’s needs. The bereaved mom spoke in a video message Thursday to Radio Farda, the Persian-language arm of the U.S.-funded station Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Nika Shakarami has turn into the newest icon of the protests, seen because the gravest risk to Iran’s ruling elites in years. Attempts by authorities in latest days to painting the teenager’s demise as an accident might sign concern that the incident is fueling additional anger towards the federal government.
The protests, which enter their fourth week Saturday, have been sparked by the demise of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini within the custody of the morality police. They had detained Amini for alleged violations of the nation’s strict Islamic gown code.
Young ladies have typically been main the protests, tearing off and defiantly waving their headscarves as they name for toppling the federal government.
The protests rapidly unfold to communities throughout Iran and have been met by a harsh authorities crackdown, together with beatings, arrests and killings of demonstrators, in addition to web disruptions.
Human rights teams estimate that dozens of protesters have been killed over the previous three weeks. On Thursday, the London-based group Amnesty International revealed its findings about what seems to be the one deadliest incident up to now — within the metropolis of Zahedan on Sept. 30.
The report stated Iranian safety forces killed a minimum of 66 folks, together with kids, and wounded a whole lot, after firing stay rounds at protesters, bystanders and worshippers in a violent crackdown that day. Iranian authorities claimed the Zahedan violence concerned unnamed separatists. More than a dozen folks have been killed since then within the space, the report stated.
Meanwhile, Nika Shakarami’s mom pushed again towards makes an attempt by officers to border her daughter’s demise as an accident.
In her video message, she stated that the forensics report confirmed that Nika had died from repeated blows to the pinnacle.
Nika’s physique was intact, however a few of her enamel, bones in her face and a part of the again of her cranium have been damaged, she stated. “The damage was to her head,” she stated. “Her body was intact, arms and legs.”
Earlier this week, Iran’s police chief, Gen. Hossein Ashtari, claimed that the teenager had gone to a constructing “and fell from the upper floor at a time of gatherings.” He stated that “the fall from that height led to her death.”
Nasreen Shakarami stated her daughter left her residence in Tehran within the afternoon of Sept. 19 to affix anti-hijab protests. She stated she was in contact by cellphone with Nika a number of instances within the subsequent few hours, pleading along with her to return residence. They final spoke earlier than midnight. “Then Nika’s mobile was off, after she and her friends were shouting names of forces while they were fleeing,” she stated.
The following morning, the household looked for Nika at police stations and prisons, however had no phrase of her whereabouts for 9 days. Authorities lastly handed over the physique on the tenth day and the household headed to town of Khoramabad for burial, she stated. Authorities repeatedly demanded to take possession of the physique, which was within the meantime saved within the Khoramabad morgue.
On the day of the deliberate funeral the household realized that the physique had been snatched from the morgue and was taken to a distant village for burial, underneath heavy safety, Nasreen Shakarami stated.
Since the affirmation of her demise, Nika has emerged as one other icon of the protests, alongside Amini. A photograph of Nika, sporting a black T-shirt and sporting a classy two-tone bob haircut and eyeliner, has been broadly circulated on social media.
Authorities arrested Nasreen Shakarami’s brother and sister. The sister, Atash, later stated on Iranian TV that her niece fell from a excessive constructing.
Nika’s mom stated she believes her siblings had been pressured to echo the official model.
Iran has an extended historical past of broadcasting compelled confessions.
Also Friday, the official IRNA information company quoted the coroner’s workplace saying examinations discovered that Mahsa Amini died of cerebral hypoxia — wherein oxygen provide to the mind decreases. It stated she suffered a number of organ failure however “her death was not led by blunt force trauma to the head, organs and vital parts of the body.”
It stated Amini suffered coronary heart arrhythmia, hypotension and lack of consciousness earlier than been taken to a hospital.
Amini’s household rejected the coroner’s report, as a result of authorities had didn’t seek the advice of with medical specialists as requested by the household, BBC Persian reported. Mahsa Amini’s father has beforehand stated her corpse confirmed clear indicators of being bruised and crushed.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”