Exposing the murder of "Amir Mohammad Shahkarami" under torture by the Islamic Republic

The murder of Amir Mohammad Shahkarami under torture by the Islamic Republic is a symbol of the repression of a government that does not even spare the lives of children and targets them with bullets.

The death of 14-year-old Amir Mohammad Shahkarami is not just a bitter tale of the repression of protests, but a stark sign of a system in which even children are not immune to violence. The teenager was arrested in the city of Quds during the January 8 protests and after about two months of inactivity, his lifeless body was handed over to his family, a body that bore clear signs of deadly violence.

According to published reports, Amir Mohammad disappeared on the day of the protests. His family searched relentlessly, visiting hospitals, morgues, and forensics, but found no trace of him. This lack of information was replaced by a fragile hope when, two days later, his cell phone turned on and government agents informed the family that he was alive.

This message, however, was not the truth, but part of a vague and deceptive process. The family, following up with the judicial institutions, were met with responses that emphasized that he was alive and even said that he had been sentenced. In the educational system, where Amir Mohammad should have been known as an eighth-grade student, his case was declared “confidential”; a word that has been used many times to hide the truth.

60 days of uncertainty, anxiety, and waiting finally ended with a call from the coroner, a call that brought not news of life, but confirmation of death. His body was released to the family under the designation “Unknown 11754,” a number that seemed to reduce a child’s identity to a nameless code.

But what the family saw screamed a truth that no label could hide. The marks of a "free shot" and a direct shot to the temple, along with extensive bruising on the body, presented a clear picture of what had happened: detention, torture, and ultimately murder.

Amir Mohammad's case, apart from the personal pain of a family, can be analyzed in a broader context. During the nationwide protests in Iran, there have been numerous reports of direct shootings of protesters, including teenagers. International human rights organizations have also repeatedly warned against the use of lethal violence against civilians, especially children.

There is also ample evidence that security forces have not only prevented the injured from being transported to medical facilities, but in some cases have even shot protesters in the head and face in medical settings. This pattern, while shocking, is no longer surprising to many observers.

What makes this case even more shocking is the age of the victim. Amir Mohammad was only 14 years old, a child who should have been in school, among his classmates and his teenage dreams, not in a detention center and under gunfire.

This fact is a serious criticism of the government structure, in which there is no boundary between protester, civilian and child. When the security services arrest a teenager, keep his family in the dark for weeks, and finally hand over his body with direct gunshot wounds, it is no longer possible to speak of a “mistake” or an “accident”. It is worth noting that the news of the killing of many protesters also remains secret for long periods of time and does not reach the media due to threats to their families.

The murder of Amir Mohammad Shahkarami is not just a name on a list of victims; it is a document of a bitter reality that continues to unfold. This case raises a fundamental question for public opinion: How does a government that claims to protect the people reach a point where it does not hesitate to kill even children?

The answer to this question is vital not only for Amir Mohammad's family, but also for the future of society, because a society in which the blood of children remains unaccounted for is facing a deeper crisis than what is visible.