A teenager called the “Jamie Oliver of Iran” was allegedly battered to death by security forces, sparking a second wave of protests following the suspected murder of Mahsa Amini.
Wednesday, the 19-year-old renowned chef Mehrshad Shahidi reportedly died while in the custody of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
It was the fortieth day of protests against the death of Ms. Amini, a 22-year-old woman who reportedly died in jail on September 16 after being tortured by Iranian morality police for not wearing a hijab correctly.
Amini was initially jailed in Tehran for allegedly violating Iran’s strict sharia-based clothing code for women.
According to human rights organizations, Mr. Shahidi died after getting skull injuries from batons while in detention following his arrest during protests in the city of Arak. His death is reportedly the 253rd during the protests.
According to The Sunday Telegraph, the chef’s family claims they were pressured by Iranian officials to disclose he died of a heart attack.
They told Iran International Television in London, “Our son died after sustaining baton hits to the head following his arrest, but we have been pressured by the regime to say he died of a heart attack.”
Iranian officials deny the allegation.
Students described him as popular, vivacious, and attractive. He had amassed 25,000 followers on Instagram and created a following by posting cooking videos on social media.
A analyst on Iranian affairs, Dr. Reza Taghizadeh, has warned that his death could spark a second, even larger wave of national protests.
His remarks were made as protests erupted again last night during his funeral.
Allegedly, security personnel fired tear gas to disperse protesters chanting “Death to the tyrant” and “everyone who is killed will be supported by thousands more.”
Iran Human Rights, a Norwegian organization, reported on Friday that at least 253 people have died in the forty days of protests since Ms. Amini’s death.
Currently, security forces are trying to deal with the magnitude of the protests, which have evolved into a broader movement to topple the Islamic republic.
During the protests earlier this week, a 17-year-old girl was reportedly battered to death with a police riot bat while heading home from school.
Local demonstrators assert that Sadaf Movahedi was beaten to death by “repressive forces” attempting to maintain public order on Monday night.
They claim that her family is being pressured to remain silent and that they would endanger their own lives if they spoke out about the tragedy.
Since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police a month ago, Iran has been engulfed in protests.
Amini died in detention following her arrest in Tehran for allegedly violating Iran’s strict sharia-based clothing code for women.
Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s formidable Revolutionary Guards, warned demonstrators that Saturday will be their final day on the streets.
According to sources speaking with MailOnline, the Iranian dictatorship is running out of prison room to detain demonstrators after almost six weeks of unrest.
According to Iranian citizens, authorities were had to release protestors back onto the street after running out of locations to keep them due to the Islamic republic’s lack of resources caused by widespread protests.
According to MailOnline’s knowledge, some protesters recently held by Iranian authorities were quickly released.
According to a paper created for Ali Khamenei, the regime’s supreme leader, and viewed by Iranian opposition groups, the Iranian regime arrested 20,445 protestors during the first two weeks of demonstrations.
According to the report, 42 percent of those arrested are under 20 years of age, with many of them belonging to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK).