Harsh Reactions from Civil Rights Activists and Prince Reza Pahlavi to the Murder of ‘Alaah Hosseinnezad’

Civil rights activists and Prince Reza Pahlavi responded with harsh reactions to the murder of ‘Alaah Hosseinnezad’.

Alaah Hosseinnezad was a 24-year-old girl residing in Islamshahr who did not return home on June 4th after leaving her workplace in Saadatabad, Tehran. This was while, according to her family’s statements, Alaah had informed her family in her last phone call at 7:40 PM that day that she was about 20 minutes away from home, but she never arrived.

Published reports show that Alaah’s body was found 10 days after her disappearance. After announcing the discovery of her body, police presented two individuals as murder suspects before the cameras, although their faces were covered. A case that is entirely shrouded in ambiguity and with each report, more questions are added to it.

Contradictory police reports about Alaah’s murder have sparked widespread reactions and protests. In some of the published reports, it was stated that Alaah boarded a passing car at Azadi Square, while in other reports it was mentioned that she took a Snapp ride from her workplace to her home.

In addition to the public and social media users, civil rights activists, Prince Reza Pahlavi, and other prominent figures responded with very harsh reactions to Alaah’s murder. Narges Mohammadi, a civil and human rights activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, issued a statement in response to Alaah’s murder, describing the killing of this 24-year-old girl as a result of government violence against women across Iran, writing: “The shocking news of Alaah’s murder, two weeks after her disappearance, has worried and angered society. Detention, torture, imprisonment, execution, rape and sexual assaults against mandatory hijab protesters and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement continue.”

Narges Mohammadi, while emphasizing the need for Alaah’s murderer to be tried and punished, added: “The Islamic Republic government has used legal and structural violence, education and propaganda for 46 years to dominate women and subordinate them. Streets, homes and private vehicles remain unsafe places where the government controls, threatens and commits violence against women.”

‘Nazanin Boniadi’ also responded to Alaah’s murder by saying: “A regime that immediately pursues women for their hair covering but loses a missing woman is not blind; in every ‘honor killing’ and in every crime it conceals beneath layers of lies, it is complicit.”

Prince Reza Pahlavi also issued a strong response to Alaah’s murder, writing: “Alaah Hosseinnezad, yet another freedom-loving and patriotic daughter of Iran, became a victim of the misogynistic and repressive Islamic Republic regime. We have no choice but to prevail against this oppression; until we win, they will continue to kill our children.

Even in the distorted narrative that the regime has released about this crime, the direct impact of the Islamic Republic’s repressive gaze against citizens, particularly Iranian women, is entirely evident. As long as this regime remains in power and sanctions political violence and normalizes hatred against women, Iran’s Alahs, Mehsas, Nikas and Armitas will not be safe.

In a society where civil rights do not exist, women’s security and rights will be further violated. Security and freedom will only return to society, particularly to the innocent daughters of Iran, when the Islamic Republic is overthrown and a national and accountable government is established in our country.

Until that day comes, protecting each and every Iranian citizen from one another, particularly from the women of society, is a national duty. Free-spirited Iranian men have shown how much they are supporters and companions of their female comrades in this regard.”

The spokesman for Faraja on Saturday, while emphasizing that the person accused of Alaah’s murder was a Snapp driver, said: “Snapp Company requested background information for him in 2020, at which time no criminal convictions were recorded for him.” However, elsewhere he stated that Hosseinnezad had not requested a vehicle from Snapp but had boarded a passing car.

The statements of Faraja’s spokesman and police come as Snapp has stated that he was not a Snapp driver, adding further ambiguities to the case.