Nika Shahkarami: How a slain 16-year-old became a figurehead of the Iran protests

Nika Shahkarami was a 16-year-old girl who died after going missing for 10 days after participating in anti-government protests in Iran.

Nika Shahkarami, a 16-year-old girl who died after going missing for 10 days after participating in protests in Tehran, has become a new focal point of the growing anti-government protest movement in Iran. News of her death, and the treatment of her family at the hands of Iranian authorities, sparked outrage and galvanized fresh protests as demonstrations stretch into their third week.

The Iran protests initially erupted after the funeral of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died while in the custody of Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the country’s modesty laws. At first, demonstrations centred around protesting Iran’s strict dress code that dictates how women can dress, but have since expanded into broader calls for a regime change.

Iranian security forces have used tear gas and opened fire on protesters to quash dissent, leaving dozens dead and hundreds injured — though the true number of casualties has been disputed. Iranian women and girls have been leading the protests, with numerous videos circulating on social media showing people burning their hijabs and cutting their hair in defiance of the country’s strict modesty laws.

Shahkarami’s death, which many activists in Iran believe happened at the hands of Iranian authorities, has become another rallying cry in the protest movement. Protesters see her death as emblematic of the way Iran’s government treats women in the country.

“Nika’s death will definitely fuel the fire of anger,” a female protester in Tehran said over the Telegram messaging app, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. “What they did to Nika is a true example of what the Islamic Republic does to us.”

On Sept. 20, Shahkarami joined the protests in Tehran like many other youths her age.

In an interview with BBC Persian, the teen’s aunt, Atash Shahkarami, said her niece left their house around 5 p.m. local time and that they were in contact until around 7 p.m. Atash spoke to one of Shahkarami’s friends and learned that the teen had posted a story on her Instagram page showing her burning her headscarf, Atash said.