Family of teen Iranian protester Sarina Esmailzadeh says she was beaten to death, officials say she jumped
TEHRAN, IRAN: While participating in a country-wide protest against Iran’s hijab law, Sarina Esmailzadeh, 16, was allegedly "beaten to death" by security services. The teenage YouTuber had demonstrated against the alleged killing of Mahsa Amini by the authorities for breaking the hijab rule of Iran. Esmailzadeh was last seen on September 21 protesting in Karaj, however, the regime claims that she took her own life by jumping off a roof. The human rights organizations have been crying foul and argue the 16-year-old was beaten over the "head with batons."
Alborz Province Justice Department chief Hossein Fazeli claims that the teenager had jumped off from her neighbor's rooftop. Another girl Nika Shakarami, 17, died too in similar circumstances, where her family endorsed the version of government on national television, which many claims were under duress. Furthermore, Iranian state media released a video where it allegedly showed Esmailzadeh’s mother saying that the teen had several failed suicide attempts in the past. But many human rights organizations claim that the woman is not her mother, but an actress.
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As per reports on social media, Esmailzadeh’s funeral was carried out under the strong presence of over 50 security officials, making sure nothing is filmed from the proceedings or no one staged an anti-regime protest. All messages and photos of condolences were removed from the wall of her home by the officials following the funeral, reported the Daily Mail.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian charity worker who was in Tehran’s custody for six years until her release in March, appealed to the UK government to take strict action over Iran's human rights abuses, “I want the (UK government) to observe what is happening, not to turn a blind eye. I want them to protect us. We cannot be indifferent about what is happening in Iran.” “And if we talk about protecting the rights of our citizens, we have to do something about it. And I think we have to hold Iran accountable," she told Sky News.
The official statement from the Dutch government advised its citizens against traveling to Iran, “In many towns in the country there may be demonstrations which can turn violent.” It said, "The police sometimes act harshly... Iranian authorities can also arbitrarily detain people with a foreign nationality.”
The French government on Friday, October 7 advised its people to "leave the country as soon as possible," as Iran can arbitrarily detain them too. According to the IHR report, at least 92 protesters have lost their lives during the bloody crackdown, sparking tensions between the Islamic nation and the West.