Iran’s judiciary has charged “plenty of journalists and activists” following a BBC report alleging that males working for the safety forces sexually assaulted and killed a 16-year-old protester.
The Mizan information company, run by the judiciary, stated the BBC Eye investigation into Nika Shakarami’s demise in 2022 was “false, inaccurate and filled with errors”.
The individual cited for “destroying the psychological security of society” was not recognized.
However, two Iranian journalists who commented on the report on-line stated that prosecutors had filed a case towards them.
One of them, Mohammad Parsi, wrote on Twitter/X that the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office had summoned him for publishing “articles about Nika Shakarami and the small print of her homicide.”
The second individual, Marji Mahmoudi, posted, “No fees or particulars are identified.”
On Wednesday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi rejected the BBC findings as a conspiracy by Iran’s enemies, turning into the primary official to remark publicly.
“The enemy and its media are resorting to false and unrealistic experiences to hold out psychological operations,” he instructed reporters exterior a cupboard assembly, in line with state media.
Vahidi claimed this was an “try and divert consideration” from the present pro-Palestinian protests within the United States and Iran’s missile and drone assaults on Israel final month.
There was no fast remark from BBC News on the assertion from Mr Vahidi and the judiciary.
Nika Shakarami grew to become an emblem of the Women, Life, Freedom protests that rocked the Islamic Republic two years in the past.
The protests erupted after the demise in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old lady who was detained by the capital’s morality police on September 16, 2022, on suspicion of sporting the hijab “inappropriately”. did.
On September 20, 2022, Nika was filmed setting her scarf on fireplace throughout a protest in Tehran whereas different protesters chanted “Death to the dictator” in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
She disappeared that night time after telling a good friend that she was being chased by safety forces.
Eventually, her household discovered her physique within the morgue greater than per week later. They claimed she died from a blow to her head and denied authorities’ claims that she dedicated suicide by leaping from the roof of a constructing.
The BBC Eye investigation, printed on Monday, is predicated on what is alleged to be a leaked inside doc summarizing a public listening to held by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) into Nika’s case.
According to the paperwork, the boy was detained that day by members of a paramilitary group despatched by the Revolutionary Guards as a part of an infiltration crew to observe protests in Tehran.
The doc particulars a sequence of occasions that allegedly occurred whereas Nika was restrained behind an unmarked refrigerated van with three members of the crew. These embody:
One of the boys sexually abused her whereas sitting on prime of her
Despite being handcuffed and restrained, she fought again by kicking and cursing.
This led to the boys admitting that they beat her to demise with batons.
Revolutionary Guards personnel ordered the boys to dump her physique on the road.
The BBC report acknowledged that there have been plenty of faux official Iranian paperwork in circulation, however stated: “Extensive investigation has proven that the paperwork we’ve got obtained report the boy’s remaining actions.” “It has been performed.”
The BBC additionally submitted the allegations to the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian authorities earlier than reporting, however they didn’t reply.