Anti-hijab protest in Iran: Family forced to lie about Nika Shakarami's death, reveals her mother

A 16-year-old Nika Shakarami went missing on September 20 after she reportedly headed out to join an anti-hijab protest in Iran. As per reports, the Iranian teen had told a friend that police were chasing her. She was later found dead.

The mother of the Iranian teen who died after joining protests over Mahsa Amini's death accused the authorities of murdering her, in a video sent Thursday to foreign-based media.

A source close to the family has told BBC Persian that Nika's relatives were forced to make false statements. A state TV report on Wednesday night showed her aunt, Atash, saying, "Nika was killed falling from a building."

Nika's uncle was also seen on TV speaking against the unrest, which has gripped the nation. When her uncle spoke, someone appeared to whisper to him: "Say it, you scumbag!"

The BBC Persian report mentioned that the source said that these were "forced confessions", which came "after intense interrogations and being threatened that other family members would be killed".

As per the source, Atash and Nika's uncle, Mohsen, were detained by authorities. The arrest happened after Atash posted messages online about her niece's death and spoke to the media.

People in Iran, especially young school girls, are protesting over the custodial death of Amini. The morality police in the nation had imprisoned the 22-year-old for allegedly wearing a headscarf in an "improper" way.

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Nika's mother accuses the state

Nasrin Shakarami, Nika's mother also accused the authorities of threatening her to make a forced confession over her daughter's death. The news agency AFP reported that in a video sent Thursday to foreign-based opposition media, she even accused the authorities of murdering Nika.

Nasrin said a forensic report found that she had been "killed on that date, and due to repeated blunt force trauma to the head."

Nasrin Shakarami said the authorities had tried to call her several times but she has refused to answer. She added: "I saw my daughter's body myself... The back of her head showed she had suffered a very severe blow as her skull had caved in. That's how she was killed."

"But they have called others, my uncles, others, saying that ifNika's mother does not come forward and say the things we want, basically confess to the scenario that we want and have created, then we will do this and that, and threatened me," Nasrin further added.

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