My daughter, 16, was shot by sniper & her vigil raided by cops who threatened to dig up her grave… Iran’s year of terror
Sevda, 16, was shot dead on Jan. 9 during anti-government protests outside Tehran. Her mother, Samira, says a sniper fired from a rooftop.
- 3,000-plus killed in the protests, Iranian authorities acknowledge, including some security forces.
- 7,000-plus dead, mostly protesters, according to rights group Hrana.
- Samira says she searched a Tehran morgue for days before finding Sevda.
- Feb. 27: Samira reached Erbil, Iraq, a day before US-Israeli strikes began.
Why it matters: The protests began over economic grievances and grew into calls to end the Islamic Republic. The government's response remains contested.
- Samira says officials pressured her to blame terrorists for Sevda's death.
- The Iranian embassy in London says foreign powers, including the US, hijacked peaceful protests.
How 2 sources split on this story
Where they split: Iran's government says foreign powers drove violence and some dead were security forces; Samira and Hrana say security forces killed thousands of protesters.
Center coverage, 1 sources: The center frames it as one mother's search for accountability, setting her account against the Iranian government's response.
Right coverage, 1 sources: The right frames it as a year of state terror against ordinary Iranians, from the crackdown through the war.
What’s next: Samira says she will try to name the security officials she holds responsible.
- A relative of exiled activist Hamid says Iran used spying charges to punish critics after the strikes.
- How many people were killed in the January protests remains disputed.
- Who ordered security forces to open fire on Jan. 9 has not been established.
