Transcript of Iran protests: Evidence suggests Nika Shakarami molested and killed by armed forces | BBC News

To Iran next. A teenager found dead during high-profile anti-government protests in the country was sexually assaulted and killed by undercover agents working for the security forces. That's according to a leaked document contained by the BBC World Service Investigation Team. Nicar Shakerami, was 16 when she disappeared in September 2022 after telling a friend that police were chasing her. Her family found her body nine days later. The authorities denied involvement in her death. Claiming she took her own life. But what appears to be a classified report by Iran's Revolutionary Guards reveals the teenager was beaten to death by the agents who detained her. Raira Kansari from BBCI Investigations has this report. A warning, you They find the details distressing.

This is the moment an ordinary teenage girl became an Iranian icon. Nika Shakerami is burning the hijab as part of the Women Life Freedom Movement that swept Iran in September 2022. Nine days later, her mother found her dead. At the time, the Iranian government claimed that Nika had killed herself. But BBCI Investigations has obtained a document telling a very different story. It appears to be a classified report from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, part of Iran's security forces. We've translated it into English, and it summarizes a secret hearing on Nika's case. According to the document, Nika was hunted down and arrested by Team 12, one of many undercover units at the protest. She was put in the back of their vehicle, an unmarked freezer truck, with her hands bound. The report includes the direct testimony of Team 12 explaining what happened next.

Arash gagged her mouth with his socks.

I saw Sader was sitting on her with his hands in her pants.

She kicked at my face, so I had to defend myself.

I could hear the sound of the baton hitting her? Is she breathing? I think it was Behrus who answered, No, she's dead.

We cross-checked the document's contents with geo-located videos from the protest, Nika's death certificate, and her mother's testimony.

. Her face and cheekbones were broken.

Her teeth were knocked out, and the back of her head had been hit so hard it caved in. That's what killed her, the damage to her head.

We also showed the document to multiple experts, and overall, despite a few inconsistencies, they said it looks genuine.

One expert agreed to test the report's ID number with his own sources inside the IRGC.

This report is a small part of a 322-page case file.

The report number is from a judicial investigation about the rioters in 2022. They confirmed this.

Is there any way that document could be a fake?

No, it's nothing. It's original and we accept that.

The document also reveals the hearing's conclusion that sexual assault caused the fight in the rear compartment, and that strikes from Team 12 caused the death of Nneka Shakerami. None of Team 12 received any punishment for her death. We put our allegations to the IRGC and the government of Iran. They did not respond. Rahakansara, BBC News.