A 16-year-old Iranian student, Asra Panahi, was beaten to death in her classroom by security forces last Wednesday after she refused to sing a pro-regime national anthem.
according to the guardsecurity forces raided the classroom of Shahed Secondary School for girls in the city of Ardebili, to violently suppress demonstrations and demand that a group of girls sing a hymn praising the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
However, when the students refused to sing, security forces began beating them, leading to several being taken to hospital while others were arrested. Asra, who was taken to hospital, died of her injuries on Friday.
The case sparked another wave of protests across the country this weekend.
However, the Iranian authorities believe that the actions of security forces led to the death of the young woman. Meanwhile, a man identified as the girl’s uncle appeared on state television channels and claimed that Asra died of congenital heart disease.
The crackdown on Iranian schools was intensified last week when videos surfaced on social media of students refusing to wear the hijab and chanting “death to the dictator.”
In a statement released this Sunday, the Union of Teachers of Iran condemned the intervention of the security forces, calling them “cruel and inhumane” and suggesting that Education Minister Yousef Nouri should resign.
According to the latest report from the Iranian human rights group, published this Monday, 215 people, including 27 children, have been killed in protests that have taken place across the country.
Source: DN
