Iranian schoolgirl ‘beaten to death for refusing to sing’ pro-regime anthem
GuardianNov 25, 2022
Iranian Schoolgirl Allegedly Beaten to Death by Security Forces
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Image copyright: The National Post
The Facts
A schoolgirl died last week after Iranian security forces allegedly beat her and several classmates for refusing to sing an anthem praising the country's supreme leader, a local teachers' association said.
Asra Panahi was among several students from the Shahed girls' high school in Ardabil who were allegedly forced to attend a ceremony praising Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They reportedly refused to sing, chanting slogans against inequality and discrimination instead.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This is yet another death of a young girl at the hands of Iran's brutal security regime — a rotten system that has pushed the country's youth to its absolute limits. It has already fostered a volatile environment by failing to tackle the economic crisis, and repressing women through the criminalization of "immodest dressing" has only amplified discontent. Iranians cannot blindly comply with these orders any longer.
Establishment-critical narrative
Iran's riots have nothing to do with the death of Amini — and now Panahi — but everything to do with the enemies of Iran exploiting the tragic event for the purpose of creating chaos in the country. This was simply the right excuse at the right time. However, Iranians can count on their government to remain firm in its opposition to meddling from Western hegemony and Israel's Zionist regime.
