Oct. 21 – A teacher’s union in Iran said Asra Panahi, a 15-year-old girl had died after being beaten by Iran’s security forces during a raid carried out on her school.
Asra and several other students were attacked by government forces when they refused to sing an anthem which praised the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian officials have denied the murder, and said Asra died from a heart problem. At least 23 children have been killed since the anti-regime protests began in Iran, according to a report by the United Nations.
A video appearing to show a woman being sexually assaulted by police during the protests while trying to arrest her for failing to follow the regime’s compulsory dress code for women caused widespread anger on social media.
In the viral video posted on Twitter, a policeman grabs the woman by her neck while leading her into a crowd of 24 other officers. Another policeman can be seen putting his hand on the woman’s bottom in the video, while a bystander shouts that another officer is pulling her hair.
Following the publication of the video, social media users called for the resignation of Iran’s police chief, while some pro-government posters criticised the demonstrators in the footage.
And a request to remove Iran from the UN’s top commission for women was made by Australian lawmaker Monique Ryan on Tuesday. The demand followed nationwide protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by police for wearing her hijab incorrectly.
The UN Commission on the Status of Women was launched to promote gender equality and to empower women around the world. Iran’s admission to the commission caused an uproar last year, and was condemned by several human rights bodies and human rights experts.
Ryan also called on Australia’s government to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization over the group’s activities, which are considered to have caused ongoing instability in the Middle East.
Kayhan Life’s thoughts remain with Iranians demonstrating for their freedom.
