Ghodar House, the Café Where Nika Shakeri Worked, Will Close

The Instagram account of 'Ghodar House', the café where Nika Shakeri worked, announced its closure due to 'emerging conditions' while emphasizing the 'dignity and human rights' of its customers. In the last message from Ghodar House, published on Tuesday, July 18, it stated: 'From the beginning, our pride has been hosting you, and our duty has been to uphold your dignity and human rights. However, with the current conditions, as we cannot fulfill our duties as you deserve, we have chosen to leave out of respect for you.' The café announced it would remain open until the evening of July 31 and would 'pack up and leave' afterward. Following this announcement, a group of social media users shared their memories of the peaceful and respectful atmosphere of the café. Maryam Shakirani, the economic editor of Shargh newspaper, reacted to the closure of 'Ghodar House' in a series of tweets, recounting her experience in the café and meeting Nika Shakeri. She described the pleasant atmosphere of the café, stating that Ghodar was her hangout spot, and during one of her visits, 'a girl with beautiful black eyes and a noble demeanor came to the table' and 'patiently explained all the salads on the menu,' leading her to think, 'What a sweet face she has.' A few months later, she saw that same sweet face in news reports stating she had been killed. That girl was Nika Shakeri. Negar Ensan, a civil activist, also mentioned that she had visited this café several times with Niloufar Hamedi. Nika Shakeri, a teenage protester who worked at 'Ghodar House', was killed just days before her 17th birthday during the crackdown on protests in Tehran. Nika Shakeri's mother, in an interview with VOA, expressed her belief that since Nika was a child, they would take her commitment and release her. After the outbreak of nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, civil disobedience against mandatory hijab increased, and the Islamic Republic added various methods to its crackdown on restaurants and cafés where women visit without mandatory hijab.