Exclusive | U.S. State Department: We condemn the killing of Nika Shakeri and the horrific behavior of the Islamic Republic towards protesters

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department condemned the killing of Nika Shakeri by Iranian security forces on Thursday, March 3, emphasizing America's commitment to supporting human rights for the people of Iran and holding the Islamic Republic accountable for the killing of protesters. In response to Gita Arian, a reporter for Voice of America, regarding documents released indicating that Nika Shakeri had been sexually assaulted before her death at the hands of Iranian security forces, the spokesperson stated, "We cannot confirm the authenticity of the leaked documents. However, we have previously condemned the brutal killing of Nika Shakeri and the horrific treatment of other young girls, as well as the killing of protesters, regardless of their age, who participated in peaceful demonstrations and were subjected to beatings, torture, and sexual violence." The spokesperson also referred to human rights violations during the suppression of protests over the past few years, stating, "During those protests and afterward, we committed to taking action to support the human rights of the people of Iran and to hold the Iranian regime accountable. This commitment remains strong and plays a fundamental role in our approach to Iran." The U.S. State Department spokesperson described the killing of Nika Shakeri as tragic and called the killing of protesters who were simply opposed to the regime an insult to human rights, stating that this is why the Iranian regime is so isolated on the international stage today. The disclosure of a 'top secret' report from the Iranian forensic organization about Nika Shakeri, a teenager who died in the nationwide protests of 2022, has revealed new dimensions regarding the circumstances of her death. This document is one of millions of leaked pieces of evidence from the Iranian judiciary by the hacker group 'Justice Ali', which has been publicly available since Tuesday, March 1. According to this leaked 'top secret' document, Nika Shakeri was transferred on September 21, 2022, 'as an unidentified body' from police station 129 Jamy to the forensic medicine of Kahrizak, with the cause of referral cited as 'falling from a building.' Based on this document, in addition to 'injuries consistent with conflict or defensive injuries on the body' of Nika Shakeri, 'during the genital examination, signs of assault or evidence of violent sexual intercourse were evident.' Gita Arian, a senior reporter for the Persian section of Voice of America, has primarily focused on foreign policy news. She began her journalism career in 1987 with work in radio and joined Voice of America in 2004.