Strong reactions from civil rights activists and the Pahlavi prince to the murder of "Elaheh Hosseinnejad"

Civil rights activists and Prince Reza Pahlavi reacted very strongly to the murder of Elaheh Hosseinnejad.

Elahe Hosseinnejad, a 24-year-old resident of Islamshahr, did not return home on June 25 after leaving her workplace in Saadatabad, Tehran. According to her family, Elahe had last called her family at 7:40 PM that day and told them that she was about 20 minutes away from home, but she did not arrive home.

Published reports indicate that Elahe's body was found 10 days after her disappearance, and after announcing the discovery of her body, the police introduced two people as the murder suspects in front of the media cameras, their faces covered. A case that is full of ambiguity, and more ambiguity is added to it with each report.

Conflicting police reports about Elahe's murder have sparked widespread reactions and protests. Some reports say Elahe got into a passing car in Azadi Square, while others say she was driving home from work in a pickup truck.

In addition to the public and social media users, civil rights activists, Prince Reza Pahlavi, and other prominent figures reacted strongly to Elahe's murder. Narges Mohammadi, a civil and human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, released a message in response to Elahe's murder, describing the murder of the 24-year-old girl as a result of the government's violence against women across Iran, writing: "The shocking news of Elahe's murder has worried and angered society two weeks after her disappearance. Arrests, torture, imprisonment, executions, rape, and sexual assaults against protesters of the forced hijab and the Women, Life, Freedom movement continue."

Narges Mohammadi, while pointing out the need to try and punish Elaheh's killer, added: "For 46 years, the Islamic Republic government has used legal and structural violence to education and propaganda to dominate and subjugate women. Streets, homes, and private cars are still unsafe places for the government to control, threaten, and commit violence against women."

"Nazanin Bundi" also said in response to Elaheh's murder: "A regime that immediately persecutes women for covering their hair but misses a missing woman is not blind, but is complicit in every "honor killing" and in every crime that it hides under a layer of lies."

Prince Reza Pahlavi also issued a message in strong reaction to Elahe's murder, writing: "Elahe Hosseinnejad, another freedom-loving and patriotic Iranian girl, fell victim to the misogynistic and oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic. We have no choice but to win against this atrocity. Until we win, they will kill our children."

Even in the regime’s distorted narrative of this crime, the direct impact of the Islamic Republic’s oppressive gaze on its citizens, especially Iranian women, is clearly evident. As long as this regime is in power, sanctioning political violence and normalizing hatred against women, the goddesses, Mahsas, Nikas, and Armitas of Iran will not be safe.

In a society where there are no civil rights, women's security and rights will be further violated. Security and freedom will only return to society, especially to the innocent girls of Iran, when the Islamic Republic is overthrown and a responsible national government is established in our country.

"Until that day comes, it is a national duty for every Iranian citizen to protect each other, especially the women of society. Free Iranian men have shown how much they are a helper, a helper, and a companion to their female comrades in this regard."

On Saturday, Faraja's spokesman emphasized that the person accused of Elahe's murder was a Snap driver and said, "Snap made inquiries about his employment in 2020, when he had no criminal record." However, he stated elsewhere that Hosseinnejad had not asked for a car from Snap, but had gotten into a passing car.

The statements of the spokesperson for Faraj and the police, while Snapp stated that he was not the driver of Snapp, have added further ambiguity to the case.