Image supply, ATASH SHAKARAMI
picture captionNika Shakalami’s household rejects claims from authorities that she dedicated suicideArticle by David Gritten, BBC News
1 hour in the past
Iran’s judiciary has charged “a variety of journalists and activists” following a BBC information launch 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, mentioned the BBC Eye investigation into Nika Shakarami’s dying 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 mentioned 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 main points 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, changing into the primary official to remark publicly.
“The enemy and his media are resorting to false and unrealistic studies to hold out psychological operations,” he informed reporters exterior a cupboard assembly, based on state media.
Vahidi claimed this was an “try to distract” from the present pro-Palestinian protests within the United States and final month’s Iranian missile and drone assaults on Israel.
There was no speedy remark from BBC News on the assertion from Mr Vahidi and the judiciary.
Nika Shakarami turned an emblem of the Women, Life, Freedom protests that rocked the Islamic Republic two years in the past.
The protests erupted after the dying 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 carrying 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 evening after telling a good friend that she was being chased by safety forces.
Eventually, her household discovered her physique within the morgue greater than every week later. They maintained that she died from a blow to her head and rejected authorities’ claims that she dedicated suicide by leaping from the roof of a constructing.
The BBC Eye investigation, printed on Monday, was primarily based on purported leaked inner paperwork summarizing public hearings 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 workforce to observe protests in Tehran.
The doc particulars a collection of occasions that allegedly occurred whereas Nika was restrained at the back of an unmarked refrigerated van with three members of the workforce. These embrace:
One of the boys sexually abused her whereas he was sitting on high of her. Despite being handcuffed and restrained, she fought again, kicking and cursing at her. This led to the boys attacking her with batons. An Revolutionary Guards officer who admitted bludgeoning her to dying ordered the boys to dump her physique on the road.
The BBC report acknowledged that there have been a variety of faux Iranian official paperwork in circulation, however mentioned: “Extensive analysis exhibits that the paperwork we’ve obtained document the boy’s last actions.” “It was.”
The BBC additionally submitted the allegations to the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian authorities earlier than reporting, however they didn’t reply.