Revolutionary Guards dossier
How Nika Shakarami died in Tehran
April 30, 2024, 6:38 p.m
More women die in Iran in the mass protests following the death of the Kurdish woman Amini. 16-year-old Nika Shakarami attracts the attention of three security guards when she sets fire to headscarves. Her martyrdom is now coming to light through a secret dossier.
Iranian security forces sexually abused and killed a young activist during mass protests in 2022, according to an investigative report. This emerged from secret and previously unpublished documents, as the British broadcaster BBC reported. Specifically, it was about the case of then 16-year-old Nika Shakarami, whose death in September 2022 led to an outcry in the women-led uprisings both in Iran and internationally.
According to investigative research, three members of the security forces sexually assaulted the young woman in a van. When Shakarami tried to defend herself, the men beat her, which ultimately led to her death. The activist had previously taken part in demonstrations. In a video that was later widely shared on social media, Shakarami can be seen setting fire to headscarves – a symbol of protest against the Islamic Republic system. Security forces filmed them and then identified them, the BBC continued.
Internal investigation of the Revolutionary Guards
The fact that the alleged sexual attack and killing has now been made public is due to an internal investigation by the powerful Revolutionary Guard. The documents are said to show how the security forces tried to cover up the young woman’s death. The authenticity could not be independently verified.
Iran’s judiciary firmly rejected the report and accused the media in the West of fomenting sentiment against the Islamic Republic. An article by the justice portal Misan also said that Shakarami was not killed in the demonstrations. In the fall of 2022, the police said that the young woman had fallen from a high-rise building and that her body was only discovered by neighbors the next day. Family members had contradicted this account early on and expressed doubts about the official explanation. They blamed the secret service for their deaths.
In autumn 2022, the death of the young Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini triggered the most serious protests in the history of the Islamic Republic. For months, young people in particular took to the streets to demonstrate against the Islamic system of rule. Amini is said to have worn her headscarf incorrectly, was arrested by the notorious moral guards and died shortly afterwards. A UN commission of experts concluded that physical violence following her arrest led to her death.