Iran claims teen Nika Shakarami died in a fall. Her mom doesn't believe it, and either do protesters.
CBSN
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The mother of a 16-year-old Iranian girl has disputed official claims that her daughter fell to her death from a high building, saying the teen was killed by blows to the head as part of the crackdown on anti-government protests roiling the country. Nasreen Shakarami also said authorities kept her daughter Nika's death a secret for nine days, and then snatched her body from a morgue to bury her in a remote area, against the family's wishes.
The bereaved mother spoke in a video message Thursday to Radio Farda, the Persian-language arm of the U.S.-funded station Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Nika Shakarami has become the latest icon of the protests, seen as the gravest threat to Iran's ruling elites in years. Attempts by authorities in recent days to portray the teen's death as an accident may signal concern that the incident could further fuel anger against the government.
The protests, which will enter their fourth week on Saturday, were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police. They had detained Amini for alleged violations of the country's strict Islamic dress code. Amini's family have told CBS News they believe she was tortured and killed in police custody.
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