Daring to raise her voice for freedom
Arnika Qaem Maghami was born on December 11, 2005.
This 17-year-old girl was tragically killed during the nationwide protests that swept Iran in 2022. While protesting for freedom, she was brutally attacked by the security forces of the Iranian regime. Arnika was repeatedly struck on the head and face with batons.
She slipped into a coma and spent 10 days in a military hospital in Tehran, where she eventually succumbed to her injuries on October 22, 2022, due to brain damage.
Despite the clear circumstances of her death, Arnika’s father was coerced by security agents to publicly claim that his daughter had died after falling from the fourth floor of their home. This false narrative was designed to cover up the regime’s violent actions.
Several leaked documents provide more insight into the tragic death of Arnika Qaem Maghami:
- Arnika was admitted to the Golestan Army Hospital, where her condition was falsely attributed to drug poisoning. This conflicts with her father’s statement that she had never taken any medication.
- Arnika was admitted to the hospital on October 15, 2022, which contradicts her father’s later account of events.
- None of Arnika’s injuries — such as swelling, fractures, or bruises — were consistent with a fall from a four-story building.
- A photograph shows Arnika making a victory sign with her friends at school, disproving her father’s claim that she hadn’t participated in protests.
- A CT scan of her brain and expert medical analysis found no evidence of the skull fractures typical of a fall from over 20 feet. Instead, the swelling at the back of her head indicated trauma caused by a hard object.
- The blunt force trauma to the left side of Arnika’s head caused extensive damage to her brain, resulting in severe hemorrhaging.
These revelations show that the stories of pre-existing conditions, suicide, or falling from a height were all fabricated to cover up the real cause of her death. Arnika Qaem Maghami, a bright and hopeful young woman, had her life violently taken from her for daring to raise her voice for freedom.
