NOS News•today, 11:12
Iranian security forces sexually assaulted and murdered 16-year-old girl Nika Shakarami two years ago. This is according to the BBC, which has secret documents in its possession and has been investigating the case for months.
Nika Shakarami disappeared on September 20, 2022 in the Iranian capital Tehran after possibly participating in a protest against the regime. The protests were nationwide and started after Mahsa Amini was beaten to death by religious police for allegedly not wearing her mandatory hijab (headscarf) properly.
Shakarami’s body was found nine days later. According to the Iranian regime’s interpretation, she had died by suicide.
Undercover agents
The BBC now reports that that reading is incorrect. The British broadcaster describes in detail what happened in the last hours before Shakarami’s death. The secret documents, addressed to the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard, show that Shakarami was being watched by undercover services even before she disappeared. Before her disappearance, the teenager was filmed at a protest where she burned hijabs while others around her chanted “death to the dictator.”
One of the undercover officers, disguised as a protester, tried to arrest Shakarami, but she managed to flee. An hour later she was arrested and put in a van.
The undercover officers then looked for a prison to take Shakarami to, but were told “no” several times. The Revolutionary Guards headquarters ordered officers to take Shakarami to the infamous Evin Prison.
Abused and assaulted
According to the officers, all of whose names are available to the BBC, Shakarami constantly shouted and cursed and was assaulted and abused with batons and tasers in the dark trunk of the van. Despite being handcuffed and having socks in her mouth, she managed to fight back. In the statement, one of the undercover officers says he had to defend himself.
Shakarami eventually dies in the van, after which her body is dumped. An officer describes that her face “didn’t look good” and that they have yet to remove the blood on her head.
A month after Shakarami’s death, Iranian state television reported that an investigation revealed that the teenager had jumped from a building. Shakarami’s family said they were only allowed to see the body in the morgue for a few seconds. An aunt was also forced to say on TV that Shakarami had committed suicide.
Iran does not answer
The girl’s body was taken to her father’s home village, but was later reportedly moved by Iranian secret services, the BBC reported. The Iranian authorities did not respond to questions from the British broadcaster.
During the large-scale, months-long protests in 2022, Iranian security forces regularly intervened and thousands of people were arrested. According to human rights groups, five hundred demonstrators have been killed. This month, Iran announced that it would enforce the headscarf requirement more strictly. That also led to protests.
