The Account of Hadith Najafi's Sister on Her Death; Medical Treatment Was Prevented

Afsoon Najafi, sister of Hadith Najafi, one of the victims of the nationwide protests in Karaj, told Voice of America: "Eyewitnesses later told the family that she was alive until the time of transfer to the hospital, but security forces prevented her treatment and ultimately caused her death." Afsoon Najafi added during the special program "Justice for Hadith Najafi" aired by Voice of America: "Hadith was killed on September 21, 2022, in Eram Boulevard, Fardis, Karaj, by 6 live bullets and several shotgun pellets, and this was confirmed by two eyewitnesses who transferred her to the hospital." She rejected the claims of officials and state media regarding the manner of Hadith's death, stating: "Security officials and agents of the Ministry of Intelligence pressured my father to say that Hadith died from fear of shotgun pellets or due to a stroke." Afsoon Najafi recounted the events surrounding her and other family members' arrests, saying: "During the family's arrest after Hadith's death, they attempted to convey through a film that Hadith was killed due to gunfire from protesters and that security or police forces had no role in her death, but this portrayal and fabrication were not accepted by the family at all." In explaining how Hadith was transferred to the hospital, she quoted two individuals who took her to the hospital, noting: "Eyewitnesses after Hadith's death told us at her grave that she was killed exactly in a location that is completely different from the location announced by security agencies." She added, quoting a boy who took Hadith to the hospital: "That boy, with the help of his aunt, took Hadith in his personal car to the hospital and handed her over to the hospital, and they confirmed that Hadith was alive at that time." Afsoon Najafi continued: "After this man's call to the family and our presence at the hospital, along with one of the present patients who witnessed the events, he told us that Hadith was not conscious during the transfer to the hospital but was alive, and the agents confined her in a back yard room of the hospital and warned the medical staff to refrain from treating her until her death came." Hadith Najafi's sister also emphasized that the young man who took Hadith with his aunt to the hospital was arrested, imprisoned, and tortured the day after, and his aunt was also arrested a few days after explaining how Hadith was killed to us. The sister of this 23-year-old young man who died in the protests confirmed the pressure from security agencies on Hadith's family to Voice of America, saying: "From the time of Hadith's death until her fortieth day, all family members were under pressure, interrogation, and constant surveillance by security agencies, and the family was continuously threatened and forced to give television interviews until close to the fortieth day, when two of our sisters were arrested due to the publication of a call for the fortieth day, and they were prevented from holding the fortieth day ceremony. During the fortieth day ceremony, my father was arrested and my mother was beaten with a baton, and they also shot at me and my other sisters and brother with a shotgun." Afsoon Najafi stated that security agencies continued to pressure the family, forcing her and her other sister to attend therapy sessions with the head of the Karaj Intelligence Organization for 10 to 12 sessions, but it later became clear that their psychologist and counselor was a non-commissioned officer and intelligence officer, not a doctor. She also added: "Threatening to arrest my brother was another pressure that was exerted on the family every day, and they attempted to kidnap my brother three or four times, but each time they failed with the help of neighbors and local shopkeepers." Hadith Najafi, born on January 5, 2000, was one of the protesters in the nationwide protests of 2022 in Iran, who was killed by the Islamic Republic forces in Mehrshahr, Karaj, and buried at night. The manner of her killing received widespread coverage in foreign media. However, the 20:30 news section of state television, a few days after Hadith's death, confirmed her death by gunfire in a report, accusing foreign media of fabricating her death and claiming that Hadith Najafi was killed by unknown individuals. In this program, Hadith's father was shown saying that his daughter was not involved in the "riots" and he does not believe that the police killed his daughter.