Reactions to the Release of Details on the Killing of Nika Shakeri: Her Killers Will Be 'Punished'

As widespread reactions continue to the released documents regarding the sexual assault by Islamic Republic agents on Nika Shakeri and the manner of her killing, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has opened cases against journalists who have written about this murdered teenager based on these reports. Many users have stated that this 16-year-old girl stood firm against government agents and 'wild beasts' with her hands tied until the last moment, and although it has become clear who 'Nika's killers' are, they are currently free, but one day 'they will be punished.' BBC World reported on Monday in a detailed report that it has obtained documents showing that Nika Shakeri, a 16-year-old Iranian protester, was sexually assaulted by government agents and killed in the fall of 2022 during nationwide protests in Iran. This British government-affiliated network claims to have obtained a 'highly confidential' report from a hearing session of Nika Shakeri's case by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which includes the names of her killers and senior commanders who tried to cover up the truth. Following the publication of this report, many users on social media reacted to the manner of Nika Shakeri's killing by government forces and praised the courage and resistance of this teenage protester until the last moment of her life. Mojgan Keshavarz, a women's rights activist, wrote on social media that Nika Shakeri 'stood against three men with her hands tied at the age of 16 and roared until the last moment, refusing to surrender.' Mehdi Yarahee, a protesting singer currently under electronic monitoring outside of prison, shared an image of this murdered teenager during the nationwide protests of 2022 and wrote: 'Look to Mahsa, to Nika, to anger and blood.' Saeed Ghasemi-Nejad, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, emphasized that although 'the names of Nika Shakeri's killers' are known, they have not been arrested and 'are walking freely.' Amir Hossein Etemadi, a political activist, recalled the previous remarks of Prince Reza Pahlavi about the importance of exposing defectors from the Islamic Republic following the BBC World revelations based on confidential documents regarding the manner of Nika Shakeri's killing and the names of those involved in this murder, writing: 'With due regard for safety and security principles, and anonymously, document and publish useful information that is beneficial to protesters and opponents; expose the methods of repression and the names of the repressors.' Ali Karimi, a famous Iranian football star and a prominent figure opposing the Islamic Republic, addressed the defenders of the Islamic Republic and government forces, saying: 'You mercenaries of Khamenei, do not assault the daughters of Iran; you do not need to cry for the broken crown and the split head of Pahlavi and the event of Karbala.' Hamed Ismailioun, a plaintiff in the case of the Ukrainian passenger plane shot down by the Revolutionary Guards, reacted to the report on the manner of Nika Shakeri's killing, writing: 'There is neither forgiveness nor forgetting. Your ruthless and criminal killers will be punished.' Mahmoud Zibaie, another plaintiff in the downed PS752 flight, empathizing with Nika Shakeri's mother, said: 'Imagining the moments when your beloved is caught in the clutches of wild beasts and is sinking into death is devastating. It is an eternal wound in the soul and body of a person.' He also emphasized: 'What is noteworthy today is the courage of Nika Shakeri and her mother's standing on the right side of history; a history that the great nation of Iran is writing.' Gohar Eshghi, the mother of Sattar Beheshti, a blogger who was killed during interrogation, wrote on social media: 'Today I saw the report of the murder of my young daughter Nika Shakeri. The tears in my eyes do not dry, and my heart is torn apart. It feels as if Sattar (Beheshti) and Mohammad (Mohammad Hosseini) were killed before my eyes again! The hands of this regime are stained with the blood of Nika and my other children.' Masih Alinejad, a journalist and human rights activist, also emphasized: 'Brave Nika, even when caught by Khamenei's wild guards, fought alone, fought, fought. She did not plead with the invading guards to have mercy on her, she kicked, she screamed, and this is how they recognized the true leader of the battlefield and feared that she might lead the entire prison to rebellion and uprising, and out of fear, they killed her.' She stated that 'the Islamic Republic fears fighters and leaders who do not beg for the rights of a nation from Khamenei's guards,' adding: 'Shame on us if we forgive the killers of Nika and Sarina.' Ali Barnaei, a journalist, also recalled the suspicious presence of refrigerated trucks from the 'Mihan Ice Cream' company in the streets during the nationwide protests of 2022 and the killing of Nika Shakeri in a refrigerated van, writing: 'Mobile torture, assault, and slaughterhouse.' Meanwhile, the Mizan news agency, the media organ of the Islamic Republic's judiciary, announced that 'some media activists who published articles about Nika Shakeri's case based on the BBC World report have been summoned to the Tehran prosecutor's office.' In this context, Marzieh Mahmoudi, a journalist on social media, wrote that 'a new case has been opened for her in the Culture and Media Court,' but 'there is neither a specific charge nor details.' She also added: 'Of course, today Mizan news agency announced that cases have been opened for journalists who commented on Nika Shakeri. With this speed?!' This journalist previously stated in a comment about the recent report regarding the details of Nika Shakeri's killing: 'The report of Nika Shakeri's murder proves that these (Islamic Republic forces) were killing people in civilian clothes. There are two facts in this report regarding this. One is where it says one of these individuals entered the crowd as a protester; the other is where it says the person used his sock to cover Nika's mouth. In that chaos, it is difficult to open and close shoelaces.' BBC World, based on documents it claims to have obtained, identified 'Arash Kalleh, Sadegh Monjazi, and Behrouz Sadeghi' as the arresting officers of Nika Shakeri and 'Morteza Jalil' as the group leader, stating that due to Nika's excessive resistance against the officers and her continued chanting, the temporary detention center refused to accept her, and it was decided to transfer Nika to Evin Prison, where she also engaged in a confrontation with the officers during the transfer, and for this reason, 'Arash Kalleh' covered Nika's mouth with his sock, then 'Sadegh Monjazi' sat on her to calm the situation. According to this report, the officers accompanying Nika Shakeri sexually assaulted her during her transfer to Evin Prison, and after Nika resisted their actions, they beat her with a baton and killed her, then left her body on the orders of 'Naeem 16,' under the identity of 'Captain Mohammad Zamani' in a quiet street on the Imam Khomeini Highway in Tehran. Prince Reza Pahlavi reacted to this report, emphasizing that 'the perpetrators of the crime against Nika Shakeri, and the main responsible one, Ali Khamenei, will be brought to justice.'