’16-year-old girl abused and murdered by Iranian security services during protests in Tehran’

16-year-old Nika Shakarami disappeared in 2022 during an anti-regime protest in Tehran. Her family only found her body in a morgue nine days later. According to Iranian authorities, she died by suicide.

But the BBC was able to view a secret report from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, which shows that she was sexually abused and murdered. The authorities are also said to have tried to hide the truth.

The death of Nika Shakarami went around the world. The 16-year-old girl quickly became a symbol of Iranian women’s struggle for more freedom.

Detailed report

The report that BBC was able to view is a summary of a hearing, with testimony from employees of the Revolutionary Guard. On September 20, 2022, several undercover units are monitoring the protests in Tehran. They broke out after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She died after being arrested by the vice squad for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly.

One of those units, Team 12, follows Nika Shakarami. They suspect her of being the leader of the protests, “due to her unconventional behavior and repeated calls on her mobile phone”. When they want to arrest her, Nika flees. An hour later she is arrested and put in an anonymous van. Nika is in the back, together with three officers: Arash Kalhor, Sadegh Monjazy and Behrooz Sadeghy. The leader of the team sits at the front, next to the driver.

According to the report, the team searches for a place to take Nika, but to no avail. A temporary police camp nearby is full and the detention center does not want to accept her because she continues to sing and swear. “She could incite the other female detainees,” the commander says in the report. “I was afraid she would start a riot.”

After consultation with headquarters, the leader therefore decides to take her to Evin prison. On the way there, he hears all kinds of noises from the back of the van. When he goes to take a look, he finds Nika’s lifeless body.

Sexual abuse

The three officers testify that Nika did not stop shouting in the van. That’s why Arash Kalhor puts his socks in her mouth, but she continues to struggle. Sadagh Monjazy sits on her to calm her down. “I don’t know what happened, but after a few minutes she started cursing again,” Behrooz Sadeghy testifies. “I couldn’t see anything, I just heard a fight.”

Arash Kalhor says that he sees Sadegh Monjazy with his hand in Nika’s pants. Then a fight ensues. According to Monjazy himself, he did not abuse her, but Nika attacked him. “She kicked me in the face, so I had to defend myself.”

When the team leader finds Nika dead, he is ordered by headquarters to “dump her on the street”. They leave her on a quiet street under the highway.

The report concludes that the sexual assault caused a fight in the back of the van. Nika is said to have died from multiple blows. “Three batons and three tasers were used. It is not clear which of the blows was fatal.” A completely different story than the official government story. A month after Nika’s funeral, an investigation concludes that she jumped from a building herself.

Not punished

According to BBC, the men were not punished for the death of 16-year-old Nika. The report states that the team belongs to a paramilitary group, which sometimes operates outside the jurisdiction of the Revolutionary Guard. One of the officers at headquarters did receive a reprimand.

Because there are many fake Iranian official documents circulating, the BBC has extensively investigated the report and compared it with other sources. This investigation shows that the story in the report is correct. The BBC submitted the allegations in the document to the Iranian government and the Revolutionary Guards, but received no response.

Anyone with questions about suicide can contact the Suicide Line on the toll-free number 1813 and on the website www.zelfbloed1813.be. You can also always contact Tele-Onthaal at www.tele-onthaal.be or on the free number 106.