The tragic case of Iranian teenager Nika Shakarami, who was sexually assaulted and killed by three men working for Iran’s security forces, has come to light through a leaked document that was believed to have been written by those forces. The document, marked “Highly Confidential,” summarizes a hearing on Nika’s case held by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC), detailing the events leading to her disappearance during an anti-regime protest in 2022. The report contains disturbing details of the assault on Nika by the security forces, including being molested and beaten with batons while restrained in an undercover van.
Nika’s disappearance and death were widely reported, sparking outrage among women in Iran for greater freedoms, particularly in response to the country’s strict rules on the compulsory veil or hijab. The death of another woman, Mahsa Amini, due to injuries sustained in police custody for not wearing her hijab properly, had already set off protests across Iran. Despite the government’s claims that Nika’s death was a suicide unrelated to the protest, her family discovered her body in a mortuary bearing signs of physical trauma, contradicting official reports.
The leaked document sheds light on the events leading to Nika’s death, with details of the men responsible for her assault and the attempts to cover up the truth by senior commanders. The report outlines the sexual assault and physical violence inflicted on Nika by the security forces during her arrest and transport to various detention centers. The government’s narrative of Nika’s death being a suicide by jumping from a building is contradicted by the report, which points to the assault and blows she received as the cause of death.
Despite the evidence presented in the leaked report, the men responsible for Nika’s death have not faced any punishment, raising questions about the lack of accountability within Iran’s security forces. The document highlights the involvement of Hezbollah, an Iranian paramilitary group, in the case, making it difficult to pursue further action against the perpetrators. The lack of response from the IRGC and the Iranian government to the allegations in the report suggests a reluctance to address the systemic issues of violence and abuse by security forces against protesters.
The authenticity of the leaked document was verified through a detailed investigation by the BBC, which involved cross-checking the information with multiple sources and consulting with experts on Iranian official documents. Despite some inconsistencies in the report, further confirmation from an Iranian intelligence officer and access to IRGC archives lent credibility to the document’s contents. The lack of accountability for Nika’s death and the broader context of violence against protesters in Iran underscore the challenges faced by activists and families seeking justice in a repressive political environment.
