An Iranian teenager has died after security forces beat her for refusing to sing a pro-regime song during a raid on her school.
"Horrific to think that a government would do this to the youngest members of its society," Lisa Daftari, a Middle East expert and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital.
"Over the last month, we’ve seen so many young people come out onto the streets in peaceful protest, only asking for the most basic of freedoms," she continued. "This regime has used every opportunity to use brutal force to round up, torture, rape and kill its youngest citizens."
The Coordinating Council of Teachers Syndicates in Iran posted a Telegram message that Asra Panahi, 16, died following the incident involving Shahed high school students in Ardabil on Oct. 13.
City officials allegedly took students from the school and brought them to a pro-government demonstration and asked them to sing the anthem, some students refused to sing, prompting a beating from security forces, Radio Free Europe reported.
Ten students suffered injuries severe enough to warrant immediate medical attention, with seven other students also sustaining injuries. Panahi died in hospital the following day.
Persian-language news outlet Manoto reported that Panahi’s brother Mohammad Reza attempted suicide following his sister’s death. He was rushed to Khomeini Hospital for "drug poisoning," where witnesses claimed to see government security agents.
Daftari told Fox News Digital that Panahi’s uncle had allegedly gone on state TV to say his niece had not died from a beating but instead due to a "congenital heart issue."
