Iran: Sixteen-year-old schoolgirl died reportedly after being subjected to violence

High school students in Iran, who protested against being forced to take part in ceremonies held in support of the government, were beaten by men in plain clothes, and a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl died as a result of the violence she was subjected to, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations reported.

The same group of unidentified men "stormed Shahid Rathi Nizam school after the ceremony, and threatened and beat the students again in front of the Director General of Education of Ardabil province," it said, adding:

"One of the students named Asra Panahi unfortunately died in the hospital and a number of students have also been arrested, but the exact number of arrests and any further information have not been released."

The coordinating council strongly criticized the behavior of some school administrations, saying:

"What's worse is that some puppet administrators of the schools, contrary to their legal and humanitarian duty, cooperated with the repression forces and opened the doors of the schools to the police to threaten and detain the students, and handed over the students' photos and information."

They condemned the administrators of Shahid Rathi Nizam school for their unlawful cooperation with the police, the storming of the school by unidentified men, and the infliction of mental and physical harm on students and teachers.