Iranian Youtuber, 16, is 'beaten to death by security services'

Iranian Youtuber, 16, is ‘beaten to death by security services’ as protests sweep country while regime claims she actually took her own life by jumping off roof

• Sarina Esmailzadeh, 16, was allegedly beaten to death by Iran’s security services after attending a protest
• The teenage YouTuber had demonstrated in Karaj on September 21 over the death of Mahsa Amini
• Miss Amini, 22, was reportedly killed while held in custody for allegedly breaking Iran’s hijab laws
• Iranian state officials now claim Miss Esmailzadeh killed herself by jumping off a roof
• Protests are sweeping Iran, as schoolgirls chanting slogans and workers on strike defy the crackdown 

Iran’s security services stand accused of beating a teenage girl YouTuber to death as protests against the dictatorship sweep the country – while the hardline regime claims that she actually took her own life by jumping off a roof.

Sarina Esmailzadeh, 16, was allegedly beaten over the head with batons at a protest in Karaj on September 21, having gone to one of many demos sweeping the country over the death of a young woman allegedly tortured in custody by Iran’s morality police for breaking hijab law in Tehran the week before.

Alborz Province Justice Department chief Hossein Fazeli now claims that the teenager killed herself by jumping from her neighbour’s rooftop,  in circumstances suspiciously similar to those of Nika Shakarami, who is also believed to have been beaten to death by security forces – and who Iranian authorities also claim died in a fall. Miss Shakarami’s apparent family also appeared on TV to confirm the regime’s version of events, reportedly under duress.

The next day, Iranian state-controlled media released a video allegedly showing Miss Esmailzadeh’s mother – but claimed by anti-regime activists to be an actress – denying the YouTuber was killed. The woman repeated the claim that the 16-year-old had a history of failed suicide attempts.

It is alleged on social media that that more than 50 security officials were present at Miss Esmailzadeh’s funeral to make sure no one filmed anything or staged an anti-regime protest.

According to reports, the officials removed all photos and messages of condolences from the wall of her home the following day.

It comes as protests over the death of Mahsa Amini sweep the country, with schoolgirls chanting slogans and workers on strike defying a bloody crackdown. 

Sarina Esmailzadeh, 16, was allegedly beaten over the head with batons at a protest in Karaj on September 21

IRAN: A handout picture made available by the Iranian presidential office shows, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi posing with female students for a picture during a ceremony marking the beginning of the academic year at the Al-Zahra university in Tehran

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has warned the world ‘cannot turn a blind eye to Iran’ as she urged Liz Truss’s Government to act over Tehran’s human rights abuses that prompted the recent hijab protests. 

The British Iranian national, who was imprisoned in Iran for six years before her release earlier this year, said the recent events have brought back memories of her own imprisonment at the hands of the Iranian regime.

It comes as the groundswell of opposition to the regime continues in Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody last month after being detained by Iranian morality police last month for not wearing a hijab in accordance with government standards.

An Iranian coroner also claimed Amini had died from illness, not police violence, and insisted two girls killed during anti-hijab protests ‘fell off roofs’ despite claims security forces beat the teenagers to death.

Speaking to Sky News’ Beth Rigby on Friday, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she wants to see more action from the UK government over the current human rights abuses in Iran.

‘I want them to observe what is happening not to turn a blind eye,’ she said.

‘I want them to protect us. We cannot be indifferent about what is happening in Iran and if we talk about protecting rights of our citizens, we have to do something about it and I think we have to hold Iran accountable.

‘The world has to make it very, very expensive for Iran to violate human rights so easily. It should be costly,’ she said, adding that this should include sanctions.

Anger flared after the 22-year-old Iranian Kurd’s death on September 16, three days after she was arrested in Tehran by the notorious morality police for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women.

Iran said yesterday that an investigation found Miss Amini had died of a longstanding illness rather than ‘blows’ to the head, despite her family reportedly saying she had previously been healthy.

But the protests continued even as ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi posed for a group photograph with students at Tehran’s all-female Al-Zahra University to mark the new academic year.

Young women on the same campus were seen shouting ‘Death to the oppressor’, said the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR).

In Miss Amini’s hometown Saqez, in the western province of Kurdistan, schoolgirls were heard chanting ‘Woman, life, freedom’ and seen marching down a street swinging headscarves over their heads, in videos the Hengaw rights group said were recorded on Saturday.

In another video it shared, a group of girls could be heard chanting the same phrase – the catchcry of the protests – as they entered a school in Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province.

Gruesome videos were widely shared on Twitter of a man who appeared to have been killed while sitting at the wheel of his car in Sanandaj, where shots had been heard in other footage.

Despite internet restrictions designed to impede gatherings and prevent images of the crackdown getting out, protesters have adopted new tactics to get their message across.

‘We are not afraid anymore. We will fight,’ said a large banner placed on an overpass of the Modares highway that cuts through central Tehran, according to online images verified by AFP.

In another video, a man is seen altering the wording of a large government billboard on the same highway from ‘The police are the servants of the people’ to ‘The police are the murderers of the people’.

Hengaw, a Norway-based Kurdish rights group, said ‘widespread strikes’ were taking place in Saqez, Sanandaj and Divandarreh, in Kurdistan province, as well as Mahabad in West Azerbaijan province.

The 1500tasvir social media channel said there were protests in the southern city of Shiraz, while the London-based Iran Wire news website said students also skipped class to demonstrate in Isfahan and Tabriz.

Verified video was shared by 1500tasvir of a demonstration in Karaj, west of Tehran, as well as a large roadside gathering in the southern city of Kerman.

AFP was unable to immediately verify other footage from 1500tasvir, which monitors violations in the Islamic republic.

GREECE: Iranians living in Thessaloniki chant slogans and hold placards during a demonstration

NETHERLANDS: Thousands showed their support for Iranian protesters standing up to their leadership during a demonstration in The Hague

GERMANY: Iranians living in Berlin are once again protesting for more democracy in Iran

IHR says at least 92 protesters have been killed in the crackdown, which has fuelled tensions between Iran and the West, especially its arch-enemy the United States.

Raisi – who in July called for the mobilisation of all state institutions to enforce hijab rules – appealed for unity.

‘Despite all the efforts of ill-wishers, the strong and hardworking people of Islamic Iran will overcome the problems ahead with unity and cohesion,’ he was quoted as saying Saturday on the presidency’s website.

Iran has repeatedly accused outside forces of stirring up the protests, and last week announced that nine foreign nationals – including from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands – had been arrested.

ITALY: Hundreds protest in Palermo against the death of Mahsa Amini

CHILE: Iranian nationals protest against the death of Iranian Mahsa Amini, in front of the Universidad de Chile building in Santiago

On Friday, the French government advised its nationals visiting Iran to ‘leave the country as soon as possible’, citing the risk of arbitrary detention.

The Dutch government advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Iran or to leave when they can do so safely.

‘In many towns in the country there may be demonstrations which can turn violent,’ it said.

‘The police sometimes act harshly… Iranian authorities can also arbitrarily detain people with a foreign nationality.’

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian charity worker who was held in Tehran for six years until her release in March, called on the UK government to act over Iran’s rights abuses.

‘I want the (UK government) to observe what is happening, not to turn a blind eye. I want them to protect us. We cannot be indifferent about what is happening in Iran,’ she told Sky News.

‘And if we talk about protecting rights of our citizens, we have to do something about it. And I think we have to hold Iran accountable.’

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