16-Year-Old Schoolgirl Beaten To Death After Refusing To Sing Pro-Regime Anthem

A 16-year-old Iranian schoolgirl was beaten to death after she refused to sing the pro-regime anthem. Her death sparked further protests across the country.

According to the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, the teenage girl Asra Panahi died after security forces raided the Shahed girls’ high school in Ardabil on October 13. The security forces demanded that the students sing a pro-regime song.

Iranian Schoolgirl Beaten To Death

After the schoolgirls refused, security forces beat them up and a number of girls were taken to the hospital and others were arrested. Panahi reportedly died in the hospital of the injuries sustained at the school. Seven students were injured, ten students were taken to an unknown location, and Panahi reportedly succumbed to her injuries on October 14.

Iranian officials denied that its security forces were responsible as her death sparked outrage across the country. A man identified as Panahi’s uncle appeared on state television channels and claimed she died from a congenital heart condition.

Schoolgirls joined the protests and a powerful video of them waving hijabs in the air and shouting anti-regime slogans went viral. The protests sparked after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police after she was detained for not wearing her hijab properly.

Following the protests, the Iranian authorities launched a series of raids on schools across the country. Reportedly, officers forced their way into classrooms, violently arrested students, and fired tear gas into school buildings.

The teachers’ union condemned the “brutal and inhumane” raids and called for the resignation of Yousef Nouri, the education minister.

According to Iran Human Rights, 215 people, including 27 children were killed in the nationwide protests as of October 17.

A teachers’ union, the Coordinating Council of Teachers Syndicates announced two days of public mourning following the tragic death of Asra Panahi. The union said in a statement that the “systematic repression” of protests led to the authorities taking “the dear lives of a number of students and children in the most brutal way”.

Suggested Reading: Iran Schoolgirls Join Protests Against Hijab: This Is A Movement Lead By Young Minds