Image copyright BBC Persian source
Nika Shekarami’s mother says: Even in my dreams I ask you to come and talk to me
The mother of a 16-year-old girl who was mysteriously killed during protests in Iran has spoken of her grief and pain amid allegations that she was beaten to death by security forces during protests in Iran. After the death of his daughter.
And mother Nasrin Shakrami, in an exclusive interview as part of a BBC documentary, said she “will never forget for a moment what happened to her daughter”.
During her conversation with Iranian actress Zar Amir Ibrahimi, who fled her country in 2008, Nizreen confirmed her rejection of Iranian officials’ claims about how the protesters were killed: “We all know they are lying.”
Nika’s death drew much attention during the protests that erupted in Iran in late 2022.
Although the protests died down due to a bloody crackdown by the security forces, the protests continued thereafter.
The unrest began after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who died while in the custody of morality police in the capital for defying Iran’s strict dress code for women, who must cover their hair completely.
Four days after Mahza’s death, Nika was photographed setting her headscarf on fire during a demonstration in the capital, Tehran.
Video clips circulating online show Nika standing over a large trash can burning her headscarf while people around her chant “death to the dictator,” a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Nika was constantly concerned about the injustice and discrimination against the people of Iran, and she thought a lot about it,” says Nasreen.
Nisreen says that she called her daughter that day and heard the cries of the protesters around her on the phone.
But the story that authorities in Iran have tried to hide from the world’s eyes — the brutality of recent street protests — is being told to the world through videos posted on social media by ordinary citizens.
The interview appears in a documentary titled “Inside the Iranian Uprising,” a 100-hour-long series of 350 video clips filmed and uploaded by young Iranians.
In a video clip shot on September 20, 2022, Nika is shown throwing stones at the police. It appears in another clip, filmed the same night, that while she was with protesters, she hid behind a car.
Shortly before midnight, the girl disappeared after telling a friend over the phone that the police were after her.
Last year, an eyewitness told CNN she saw Nika at a protest and several “large bodies in civilian clothes” arrested her and put her in a car.
Nika’s Instagram and Telegram accounts were deleted that night.
Her family started looking for her, asking the authorities for help, but Nasreen says, “Nobody gave us any answers.”
Nesrin, the mother of young Nika, says that he is the eternal enemy of her life
Their young daughter’s body was found by the family at the Ghahrisak mortuary on September 30, and authorities were only allowed to see her face for a few seconds to identify her.
Nika’s aunt, Ach, said that in early October, Iranian Revolutionary Guards told her that Nika had been in their custody for five days and then had been handed over to prison authorities.
A death certificate from a cemetery in Tehran obtained by BBC Persia says Nika died of “multiple injuries caused by being hit by a hard object”.
Officers denied any wrongdoing and issued conflicting statements about the young woman.
The Iranian government did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment on the documentary.
Iranian state television aired a video clip showing Nika returning home after the protests.
The prosecution said the girl may have jumped from the building or someone pushed her.
According to Iran’s Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), more than 530 protesters were killed, including 71 children, and nearly 20,000 were arrested in a violent crackdown by security forces.
Seven protesters were hanged following what a United Nations expert described as “arbitrary, summary and bogus trials marred by allegations of torture.” Dozens more have been sentenced to death or convicted of serious crimes punishable by death.
Nasreen says she will never forget what happened to her daughter “for a moment”.
“They didn’t take responsibility for killing her, they didn’t tell us who did it,” says Nisreen. “They don’t pursue the case, who do we complain to?”
Nasreen had previously said: While in custody, Nika’s aunt was forced to make these confessions, saying her niece “fell off a building and was killed”.
In her interview with Tsar Amir Ibrahimi, Nasreen says: “I am a mother and I loved my daughter infinitely. She was the love of my life and it is a great tragedy to lose a daughter like Nika.”
“Personally, I have a lot of respect for Nika’s courage and her independent spirit. I think we are living in an important period in history when such events are needed,” he added.
Ever since Nika was born, Nasreen knew her daughter had “extraordinary potential”.
Nisreen adds, “I can’t forget what happened to her even for a moment. I see her even in my dreams and ask her to come and talk.”
“I have only one wish, and that is that our children should not bleed,” he says.
