Iran rejects link between teenager's death and protests

Reports on social media claimed security forces had killed teenager Nika Shahkarami last month, but the judiciary on Wednesday rejected the allegations.

October 06, 2022 04:49 am | Updated 04:49 am IST - Tehran

Iran's judiciary on Wednesday rejected any connection between the recent death of a teenage girl and protests over the death in police custody of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini.

A wave of unrest has rocked Iran since 22-year-old Amini died on September 16 after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly breaching the country's strict rules on hijab headscarves and modest clothing.

The street violence has led to dozens of deaths — mostly of protesters but also members of the security forces — and hundreds of arrests.

Reports on social media claimed security forces had killed teenager Nika Shahkarami last month, but the judiciary on Wednesday rejected the allegations.

An autopsy showed "multiple fractures... in the pelvis, head, upper and lower limbs, arms and legs which indicate that the person was thrown from a height," state news agency IRNA quoted Tehran judiciary official Mohammad Shahriari as saying.

"No bullet marks were found... and the evidence shows that the death was caused by the person being thrown," he said, adding: "The incident has nothing to do with the recent disturbances."

Earlier, Tasnim news agency said eight people who were working in a building near the scene had been arrested in connection with Shahkarami's death.

"The investigation into the case... is still ongoing, and the forensic experts have not yet submitted their final report on this incident to the judicial authorities," Tasnim had reported.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.