Nika Shakeri's Aunt Responds to Security Officials' Pressures: I Will Fight Against Illness and You

Atash Shakeri, the aunt of Nika Shakeri, one of the most well-known victims of last year's protests, revealed in an Instagram post the extent of pressure from security officials on herself and her family, stating that she will fight against them. Ms. Shakeri, who has been the main source of information following Nika's death, reported suffering a stroke and being diagnosed with HVS syndrome due to psychological pressures, stating that the reason for her illness was 'the pressures and psychological torture she faced and threats from officials.' She described events that occurred to her on the eve of Nika Shakeri's anniversary, writing: first, one of her relatives was killed in brutal protests; she was violently arrested and tortured, then temporarily released on heavy bail; she was handed an expulsion order from the university, and so on. Then she was arrested again and after hours of interrogation (with the interrogators praying loudly every two hours behind you while you are facing the wall), she was placed in front of the camera of an interrogator-journalist, who, with a grotesque smile, asked her if she knew that Nika was ultimately buried in your ancestral cemetery? And you, with anger and firmness, replied, how can I know when I have been in your hands for two days, and that grotesque smile was on that creature's lips. They insisted and threatened her to confirm that she did not know who killed Nika, and she was forced to say that the police could not be so foolish as to execute such a primitive scenario, so the murder was the work of someone else. She managed to outsmart them for two hours, and ultimately when they returned her home in despair, they designed many other foolish games. From her first post to her last, they constantly called and threatened her, asking why she wrote that Nika was brave (well, shame on both of us if she wasn't brave, you wouldn't have killed her!). This control and pressure continued so much that by the anniversary of Nika, they went to destroy her grave and then called to threaten her about why she announced the news, and that she would be arrested that very night. Throughout this year, this scenario was repeatedly played out. She referred to the security officials of the Islamic Republic as 'uncorrectable Neanderthals' and wrote, 'In addition to you, I will also fight this illness... Seeking justice carries a kind of immortality within it, just as being killed by oppression does.' The body of 17-year-old Nika Shakeri was found on September 20, 2022, in the yard of a building. Nika Shakeri had a prominent presence in the protests, and a video of her burning a hijab was published. In last year's protests, at least five hundred people, including seventy children and individuals under 18, were killed by the Iranian government. The resistance of the families of some of the victims against the government's attempts to close the cases. Atash Shakeri addressed Iraj Tahmasb: Your goal is to humiliate women, life, and freedom. Atash Shakeri in a note in memory of Nika: Now your free and rebellious spirit soars with the eagles of Zagros. Exclusive | A classmate of the teenage girl killed in the protests: Nika Shakeri was extroverted and a peacemaker.