Police Disperses Gathering to Commemorate Setayesh Ghoreishi

The police prevented a gathering in front of the Afghan embassy to light candles and express condolences to the family of Setayesh Ghoreishi, a six-year-old Afghan girl. Several participants, including Afghan nationals, were arrested in a nearby park. Following a call on social media, a group of people from Tehran and Afghans were supposed to gather on Monday evening, April 30, to honor Setayesh Ghoreishi and light candles in front of the Afghan embassy in Tehran. However, according to ISNA news agency, the police stopped this ceremony in front of the Afghan embassy on Pakistan Street in Tehran and dispersed the people present in that street. After this police action, some participants went to a park near the Mosalla Metro in Tehran to light candles in memory of her, but again the police dispersed them and arrested several Afghan nationals present at the event. According to ISNA reports, "scattered clashes" occurred between the participants and the police, and some officers "attempted to take candles from the hands of some participants." There were also reports on social media about "beatings" of some participants at this gathering by the police. The murder of Setayesh Ghoreishi by a 17-year-old Iranian neighbor in Varamin, a suburb of Tehran, has significantly impacted the Persian-speaking social media in Iran and Afghanistan. Reports indicate that after kidnapping and murdering Setayesh, the 17-year-old attempted to destroy her body with acid, which was revealed by a friend of his who had asked for help in disposing of the body. Reports also indicate that no permit was issued by the Tehran governor's office for holding the gathering in front of the Afghan embassy.