Samira, a former cosmetics salesman in Iran, has become an outspoken critic of the Iranian regime following the death of her 16-year-old daughter Sevda, who was shot during anti-government demonstrations that took place earlier this year.
Sevda was killed on 9 January while participating in large-scale protests in the outskirts of Tehran. The demonstrations had begun the previous month and were initially sparked by economic grievances but evolved into broader calls for the end of Iran’s Islamic Republic. Samira says security forces announced a shoot-to-kill order on the day of her daughter’s death, and that Sevda was struck by a sniper’s bullet while standing on a dustbin and leading a chant. She describes the harrowing experience of finding her daughter’s body days later at one of Tehran’s largest morgues, where she encountered numerous other deceased protesters.
According to Samira, Iranian authorities required her to state that “terrorists” rather than security forces were responsible for Sevda’s death in order to retrieve her daughter’s body for burial. She claims authorities denied her permission to visit the grave after the funeral or organize a tombstone. Following these experiences, Samira made a difficult escape from Iran by foot through mountainous terrain and now lives abroad in hiding.
Samira has become determined to hold accountable those she believes responsible for fatal shots fired during the protests. She describes herself as a “one-woman army fighting the regime” and says she intends to identify members of security forces and officials involved in the violence. Iranian authorities acknowledge that more than 3,000 people were killed during the protests, though they claim some were members of security forces. Human rights group Hrana estimates the death toll at more than 7,000, predominantly protesters. The Iranian embassy in London has stated that peaceful protests were hijacked by foreign powers including the US, which it claims promoted violence and provided weapons.
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