An Iranian student who was shot dead has been buried at the roadside as intelligence forces encircled the family home amid mounting tensions.
Rubina Aminian, a 23 year old student studying textile and fashion design at Shariati College in Tehran, was killed on Thursday, January 8, according to Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based non-profit human rights organisation.
Aminian was departing her college to join protest gatherings which have broken out nationwide. Sources close to her family told Iran Human Rights that the young Kurdish woman from Marivan was shot from close range from behind, with the bullet hitting her head.
Upon being notified of her death, her family travelled from Kermanshah, where they reside, to Tehran to identify her body.
“The family was taken to a location near the college where they were confronted with the bodies of hundreds of young people killed during the protests. Most of the victims were young people between 18 and 22 years old, who had been shot at close range in the head and neck by government forces.
At first, the family was not allowed to identify Rubina’s body, and later they were not permitted to take her body with them,” sources close to the Aminian family told Iran Human Rights. “It wasn’t just my daughter; I saw hundreds of bodies with my own eyes,” Rubina’s mother said, according to sources.
“The family was forced to search among the bodies themselves to identify their daughter, and they undoubtedly saw many of the bodies of young people killed during the protests,” sources told Iran Human Rights.
“After much struggle, Rubina’s family eventually managed to retrieve her body and return to Kermanshah. However, upon arrival, they found that intelligence forces had surrounded their home and that they were not allowed to bury her,” sources added.
According to those close to Rubina Aminian, the family was ultimately compelled to lay her to rest along the roadside between Kermanshah and Kamyaran, Iran Human Rights reported.
The family has not yet been granted permission to hold any memorial services. Sources close to the young woman painted a picture of her as “a young woman full of joy for life and passionate about fashion and clothing design, whose dreams were buried by the violent repression of the Islamic Republic.”
What’s happening in Iran?
It is reported that over 500 demonstrators have lost their lives in Iran, whilst over 2,600 have been detained during a fortnight of anti-government unrest sweeping the nation, according to a US-based human rights organisation. The protests, sparked by devastating economic hardship, have engulfed more than 180 cities spanning all of Iran’s provinces.
Protesters in Iran have reported vast gatherings and a sense of optimism; however, chilling accounts of severe violence and “bodies piled up on each other” in hospitals have also surfaced, according to CNN. A medical professional informed CNN that the hospitals are in a state of “extreme chaos”, with patients living in fear of being identified amidst the government’s harsh response.
On Thursday, a nationwide internet blackout was observed in Iran, as reported by Netblocks, a group that monitors internet activity.
President Donald Trump has stated that the U.S. is prepared to assist the Iranian people, though he did not elaborate on what form this assistance might take.
Trump declared: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” adding, “The USA stands ready to help! ! !”
