Sameera, a resident of Tehran, recounts the moment she learned her 16-year-classic daughter, Nika Shakarami, had been killed during protests in September 2022. Security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Tehran, and Nika’s death quickly became a symbol of the government’s crackdown on dissent.
Sameera shared her story with CBN News, detailing how she and Nika joined the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police in September 2022. Amini’s death ignited widespread demonstrations against the mandatory hijab laws and the broader restrictions imposed on women by the Iranian regime.
“We went to the streets together,” Sameera told CBN News. “Nika wanted to be part of the change. She believed in a free Iran.” According to Sameera, Nika was last seen near Soltaniyeh Square in Tehran on September 20, 2022. After Nika went missing, Sameera spent days searching for her, contacting police and hospitals, before receiving confirmation of her death.
The circumstances surrounding Nika Shakarami’s death remain contested. Iranian authorities initially claimed she died as a result of a fall, but her family and many observers dispute this account, alleging she was killed by security forces. Videos circulating on social media, purportedly showing Nika at a protest and then being apprehended by authorities, fueled these claims. These videos have been analyzed by groups like Amnesty International, which has documented a pattern of excessive force used by Iranian security forces against protesters.
The protests following Mahsa Amini’s death represented one of the most significant challenges to the Iranian government in decades. Demonstrations spread across all 31 provinces of Iran, involving a broad spectrum of society, including students, workers, and women from various backgrounds. Security forces responded with a violent crackdown, employing tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition against protesters.
Human rights organizations have documented hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests linked to the protests. Amnesty International reported that at least 55 security forces personnel were also killed during the unrest. The Iranian government has blamed foreign actors for instigating the protests, a claim widely dismissed by international observers.
Nika Shakarami’s case drew international attention, with calls for an independent investigation into her death. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has repeatedly called on Iran to conclude the violence against protesters and to respect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. In November 2022, the UN Human Rights Council agreed to establish a fact-finding mission to investigate alleged human rights violations during the protests.
Sameera, despite her grief, remains resolute in her opposition to the Iranian regime. “They killed my daughter, but they cannot kill our hope,” she stated to CBN News. “We will continue to fight for a free Iran, for a future where our children can live without fear.”
As of February 2024, the fact-finding mission established by the UN Human Rights Council has yet to release its findings. The Iranian government has not cooperated with the mission, and access to the country remains restricted for independent investigators. The status of those arrested during the protests remains largely unknown, and reports of ongoing repression continue to emerge from Iran.
