A 23-year-old student was shot dead at close range after joining anti-government protests in Iran, according to the Iran Human Rights group. Rubina Aminian, a textile and fashion design student, was killed on 8 January after leaving Shariati College in Tehran.
Sources close to her family told the Norway-based group that Aminian was shot from behind, with the bullet striking her head. Her family travelled to Tehran to identify her among the bodies of hundreds of young people. When they returned to their home in Kermanshah to bury her, they found it surrounded by intelligence forces, forcing them to bury her by the side of a road.
Iran Human Rights described Aminian as 'a young woman full of joy for life and passionate about fashion and clothing design, whose dreams were buried by the violent repression of the Islamic Republic'. She is believed to be one of more than 500 people killed in the protests, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Authorities have warned that those taking part in demonstrations face the death penalty for causing damage to property, and have accused foreign 'enemies' of fuelling the unrest. US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States will 'hit them hard' if protesters are killed, while Iran has said it is ready to launch preemptive strikes against Israeli and US bases if attacked.
