IranWire

The aunt of a teenage girl killed during Iran's 2022 protests faces flogging within 10 days after a Revolutionary Court convicted her of “spreading lies.”

On Thursday, Atash Shakarami announced on her Instagram account that the 38-lash sentence issued against her and sent to the judgments enforcement branch, which will carry it out in the coming days.

The sentence comes from a complaint filed by Nasrin Shakarami, mother of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami, killed during the nationwide protests that erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.

Nika, 16, disappeared on September 20, 2022, during an anti-government protest in Tehran.

Her family found her body in a mortuary outside the capital after spending days looking for her in prisons, detention centres, police stations, and hospitals.

Nika’s aunt and uncle were later arrested and appeared on state television, saying Nika had been “thrown” from a multi-story building located close to her home.

Officials told the state media that there were no bullet marks on Nika’s body and that her death was unconnected to the protests or any security operations responding to the protests.

A document leaked to the BBC, however, revealed that she was sexually assaulted after being detained during the protests.

The Revolutionary Court of Lorestan Province convicted Atash Shakarami on charges of "spreading lies." An appeals court upheld the sentence in its entirety.

In an audio file Atash Shakarami posted to Instagram, a person identified as Nasrin Shakarami's lawyer can be heard telling her, "Either apologize or the sentence will be executed in ten days."

The lawyer suggested she could avoid the punishment by apologizing on social media.

"Maybe if you post a story and apologize, she will consent," the lawyer sad in the recording.

Atash Shakarami has been a vocal advocate seeking justice for her niece since Nika's death.

She has said security forces have threatened her multiple times since she began speaking out about the circumstances of her niece's death.

She has also reported being pressured by friends and acquaintances on several occasions to stop pursuing accountability for Nika's killing.