Shooting in Khash: Deaths of a pregnant woman, 25, and daughter, 5 years old
On the morning of Tuesday, August 6, 2024, plainclothes agents from the IRGC Intelligence in Khash, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, opened fire on a moving Peugeot 405 vehicle without any prior warning. This tragic event resulted in the death of a 25-year-old pregnant woman named Nazila Irandegani, who was shot multiple times and died instantly. Her five-year-old daughter, Tina Nasiri, succumbed to her injuries later in the hospital.
Three other passengers in the car, including another child, were severely injured.
Nazila Irandegani, along with her husband Shahram Nasiri and their children, were passing through the Khash intersection when their vehicle was targeted by the IRGC forces. Shahram Nasiri was detained by the agents and taken to an undisclosed location.
This is not an isolated incident of indiscriminate and arbitrary shooting by the IRGC and State Security Force (SSF) leading to the deaths of innocent children and civilians. In 2022, similar incidents resulted in the deaths of Kian Pirfalak, 9, Mona Naghib, 8, and Soha Etebari, 12, when armed regime agents shot at civilian vehicles.
Shooting in Nur: Woman Opposed to Mandatory Hijab Is Paralyzed
In another alarming development, a 31-year-old woman named Arezou Badri, who was not observing the mandatory hijab, was paralyzed after being shot by police. Arezou, a mother of two, originally from Ardabil and residing in Babolsar, Mazandaran Province, is currently in the intensive care unit of Valiasr Hospital in Tehran under strict surveillance by security agents.
On the night of Monday, July 22, Arezou Badri and her friend were traveling from Nur to Babolsar when the police ordered them to stop via loudspeaker.
Arezou’s car was ordered to be impounded due to hijab violations. They ignored the warning and continued their journey, prompting the police to shoot first at the car’s tire and then at the door. A bullet struck Arezou’s back, leading to severe injuries.
Subsequently, the police physically assaulted the two women to arrest them. Upon realizing Arezou’s severe condition and heavy bleeding, the officers called an ambulance in panic.
Arezou Badri was initially taken to a hospital in Nur, then transferred to a hospital in Sari for lung surgery. Her lung remains infected.
Simultaneously, many security forces from Tehran were deployed to Khomeini Hospital in Sari to prevent any information from being released about her condition or any images being taken. The authorities also confiscated Arezou and her friend’s mobile phones and deactivated her Instagram account to prevent any media coverage.
After a week, she was moved to Tehran for the removal of the bullet from her back. After ten days, surgeons successfully removed the bullet, but her lung and spinal cord sustained serious damage, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Specialists have stated that the chances of her regaining the ability to walk are very slim.
At the Valiasr Hospital, Arezou Badri is under constant surveillance and her family is only allowed brief visits, during which their mobile phones are confiscated to prevent any photos or videos.
No legal action has been taken against the officer who fired the shot.
Arezou Badri’s situation is reminiscent of the intense security measures taken during the hospitalization of 17-year-old Armita Geravand.
These incidents highlight the ongoing issues of violence and heavy-handed tactics used by Iranian security forces against civilians, including women and children, raising serious human rights concerns.
The NCRI Women’s Committee calls on the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran to investigate these incidents and hold the regime accountable for its violent and arbitrary shooting on innocent civilians, particularly under the pretext of breaching the mandatory Hijab.
