Iranian Mother Flees After Security Forces Allegedly Kill 16-Year-Old Daughter

An Iranian mother, identified as Samira, has vowed to continue fighting for justice after her 16-year-old daughter, Sevda, was shot dead during anti-government protests in Iran on January 9. Speaking to the BBC, Samira said she and her daughter were participating in demonstrations on the outskirts of Tehran when security forces opened fire on protesters. She alleged that a sniper positioned on the rooftop of a building fired the fatal shot that struck Sevda in the heart. Samira said she watched helplessly as her daughter collapsed, describing the moment as one that completely changed her life. She explained that although she had previously avoided political involvement, her daughter’s death turned her grief into a determination to challenge the authorities.

Samira said finding her daughter’s body became another painful struggle after Sevda was taken away following her death at the hospital. According to her account, she spent several days searching through morgues containing numerous bodies before finally locating her daughter. She alleged that authorities made it difficult for families to recover their loved ones and pressured relatives to blame foreign terrorists rather than security forces for the killings. Samira also claimed that she was prevented from freely visiting her daughter’s grave and was later summoned by officials from the Ministry of Intelligence. She said they offered her benefits, including a house, if she agreed to give an interview claiming that Sevda had been a member of the Basij force and was killed by protesters.

After refusing the alleged offer, Samira fled Iran with the help of people smugglers, crossing dangerous rivers and mountainous terrain to reach safety abroad. She said she feared for her life because of the continuing pressure from authorities. Since leaving the country, she has continued speaking to international media about her daughter’s death and the wider crackdown on protesters. Samira claimed that Iranian authorities subsequently charged her in absentia with several offences, including moharebeh, an offence commonly translated as waging war against God, which can carry the death penalty. She also said that relatives and friends who gathered to mark what would have been Sevda’s 17th birthday were reportedly interrupted by security forces, with some participants arrested.

Samira now lives in hiding abroad and describes herself as a one-woman campaigner seeking accountability for those responsible for the killings. She has been publishing the names of security personnel and officials she believes were involved in the deadly crackdown, insisting that they should eventually face trial. Her campaign has also exposed her to further threats, including a reported $5,000 reward offered by a regime supporter for information about her whereabouts after a man she had named online was later found dead. Iranian state media subsequently reported the arrest of nine people in connection with that death. Meanwhile, Iran’s authorities have acknowledged that more than 3,000 people died during the protests, while the human rights organisation HRANA estimates the death toll at over 7,000. The Iranian Embassy in London told the BBC that peaceful protests had been hijacked by foreign powers. Despite the danger, Samira says she will continue speaking out in memory of her daughter and other victims.