Iran teen, face of anti-hijab protests, ‘abducted’, 'tortured' for second time
Iran Anti-Hijab Protests: Sonia Sharifi shared an image of a head wound saying that she suffered the injury at the hands of security forces.
Sonia Sharifi, whose image on a car with her hands in the air became a symbol of defiance amid anti-hijab protests in Iran, said that she had been abducted and beaten by the authorities for a second time. The teenage girl is among many others who have faced the wrath of a crackdown initiated by Iran following protests that swept the country last year.
When Sonia Sharifi's family, friends and neighbours gathered in the streets of Abdanan to celebrate her homecoming last time, the protests had been happening daily for four months. Eight months later, Sonia Sharifi shared an image of a head wound saying that she suffered the injury at the hands of security forces when they detained her again. She said that she was dragged from her car and blindfolded, before being abducted and beaten.
Hengaw- a group that monitors human rights violations in Iran- said that the 17-year-old suffered multiple injuries and was "left alone in one of the streets of Abdanan after being threatened, interrogated, and tortured for more than two hours".
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More than 500 demonstrators have died and thousands have been arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) while several protesters have been executed. The country's Revolutionary Guards previously accused "hostile media" of "lying" about Sonia Sharifi's arrest in December. The authorities have so far not commented on the teenager's claim.
The attack comes about a month before the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini who died in police custody- triggering anti-hijab protests across the country. As the anniversary nears, US-based Iranian news channel Iran International reports that Iran's security agencies have begun to intimidate and threaten protesters.
Meanwhile, an independent international fact-finding mission on Iran urged the government to "end its continuing crackdown on peaceful protesters" in a report submitted in July.
