Iran protests: Bereaved families prevented from mourning their loved ones move their memorials online
When protests broke out across Iran in September, 26-year-old Mohammed Hassan Torkaman’s message was one of defiance.
“Personally, if I see even one symbolic protest in Babol, I will support it,” he wrote on Twitter.
The nature-loving student was shot dead by security forces during a demonstration just two days later – protests had broken out over the death of a young woman in police custody who was arrested for wearing her hijab “incorrectly”.
Months on, his family say they are still being harassed by the authorities in an attempt to silence them about what happened. It is an experience that human rights experts say is common for those whose loved ones died as a result of state violence in Iran.
For some families like Mohammad Hassan’s, however, remaining silent is not an option. And social media is providing them with a way to memorialise and seek justice for the dead.
Mohammad Hassan Torkaman’s story
Mohammad Hassan was a typical 26-year-old. He loved the outdoors, and could often be found exploring the forest with his friends. He was fascinated by space too, covering his home with posters of stars and far-flung galaxies.
His fluffy white Persian cat, Pashmak, was his pride and joy.
Mohammed Hassan and his cat, Pashmak. Pic: Twitter
His brother says he was a calm, kind person who had great ambitions.
“He had big ideas and wanted to make an impact in the future,” his brother said.
Mohammed Hassan had moved to Babol five years ago to study at university. So on 21 September, his family in Shahin Shahr, Isfahan, didn’t know he had gone out to protest.
It was only when they received a worried phone call from one of his friends that they realised something awful had happened.
“I was in a terrible state of shock, so I remember everything like a nightmare,” his brother said.
The friend told them that he had been calling Mohammad Hassan after he failed to turn up to his house as expected. An unknown voice eventually picked up and said that Mohammad Hassan had been shot.
His father, a veteran and former prisoner of war during the conflict between Iran and Iraq, was so shocked by the news that he suffered a stroke and was taken into intensive care.
His brother says that when he went to see Mohammad Hassan’s body in the morgue, he saw a bullet wound in his head.
For three days, the authorities refused to release the body and only did so on the condition that the family would remain quiet about where he had been shot and held the funeral under strict security.
But even then, their ordeal was far from over.
“The events for the third and the seventh days were held under watchful eyes of the agents,” his brother said.
At the 40th day ceremony, the situation escalated.
“They were attacked by the security forces, plain clothes militia using stun grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets, paintballs and batons. Many were arrested and wounded,” his brother said.
It’s now been months since Mohammad Hassan’s death and the memorial gatherings that followed. But relatives say the authorities are still harassing them.
“We are more or less threatened, we are monitored and controlled, some days they follow us, some nights they are stationed near our home,” his brother said.
Digital memorialisation
Azadeh Pourzand, a human rights researcher at SOAS University of London, explains that Iranian authorities have a history of treating families of those killed by the state in this way as they fear the impact the killing could have.
“It’s ironic that the regime is so strong with its state violence as a repressive regime but is scared of the dead bodies it creates,” she told Sky News.
“It’s not new to see the burial ceremonies for victims of state violence being disrupted in this way. It’s used as a tool to further harass and silence families,” she said.
Azadeh says that for many years, this meant that the only cases that would garner attention were those in which the victim was already publicly known or of a certain societal status. It was therefore largely left to human rights organisations like the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center to document the stories of all of the others who died at the hands of the state.
Since 2002, the centre has run the Omid Memorial project which is a digital archive of all of those who have been killed by the state and acts as an online memorial.
“The project’s mission is to ensure that all victims of the state’s violation of the right to life are memorialised, that society acknowledges the harm done to them and their loved ones, to help start their healing process in the absence of justice,” said Roya Boroumand, who runs the centre.
The advent of social media, however, has meant that individuals are now empowered to do this themselves in ways that they were previously unable to. It means that social media pages dedicated to the memory of those who have been killed in Iran are increasingly common online.
Many of these accounts are run by bereaved family members. Three months after Mohammad Hassan’s death, two of his relatives set up Twitter pages that post on a daily basis, almost exclusively about Mohammad Hassan. They now have a combined following of over 27,000.
This digital image of Mohammed Hassan has been shared on pages dedicated to his memory and across social media
Among the posts are pictures of Mohammad Hassan as a child, as well as his gravestone and memorial shrine. Many include anecdotes about Mohammad Hassan and calls for justice.
The hashtag of Mohammad Hassan’s full name in Farsi, which features in each of the posts, has been tweeted over 143,000 times according to data collected by social listening platform TalkWalker.
One of the posts shared in memory of Mohammed Hassan, which was originally written in Farsi describes how the cemetery he is buried in was blocked off by security agents
“It is my duty and my family’s duty to be the voice of my brother’s unjustly shed blood. My father was the one who stood in front of Iraqi soldiers and defended his country. We learned our courage from him,” Mohammad Hassan’s brother said.
Other accounts dedicated to memorialising all of those who have died have also sprung up.
One page was initially created to pay tribute to the 1,500 protesters killed in 2019. The account now creates and shares memorials for those who have died during the recent protests and for those who have been executed. It has 27,000 followers on Instagram and a further 7,000 on Twitter.
“The government of Iran wants these things not to be mentioned at all, not to be heard at all. The government media denies this at all,” the page’s operator told Sky News.
“I am the voice of their grieving families,” they said.
“What we are seeing here is grassroots archiving and memorialising,” said Azadeh Pourzand.
She explains that these memorials are also about achieving justice for those who have died.
“The ultimate goal is: we are not going to forget and we are not going to forgive. We’re not going to let our loved one’s blood go to waste. We are going to keep it alive, we are going to remember and we are going to seek justice,” she told Sky News.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
A top Iranian official has said the country is prepared to make a number of concessions related to its nuclear programme, in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
It comes as Donald Trump, during his tour of the Middle East, urged Qatar to wield its influence over Iran to persuade it to give up its nuclear programme.
Ali Shamkhani, a top political, military and nuclear adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, spoke to Sky News’ US partner NBC News.
Ali Shamkhani pictured in 2023.
Pic: Reuters
He said Tehran was willing to commit to never making nuclear weapons again, getting rid of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, which can be weaponised, agree to only enrich uranium to the lower levels needed for civilian use and allow international inspectors to supervise the process.
This was in exchange for the prospect of the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions on the country.
Asked if Iran would sign an agreement today if those conditions were met, Mr Shamkhani told NBC: “Yes.”
His comments are the clearest public indication of what Iran hopes to get out of a deal and their willingness to do one.
“It’s still possible. If the Americans act as they say, for sure we can have better relations,” Mr Shamkhani added.
However, he expressed frustration at continued threats from the US president, describing them as “all barbed wire” and no olive branch.
Similarly, he warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might try to derail the deal.
Trump goes to the Middle East
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Trump’s second day in the Middle East
Elsewhere, on the second of three stops on his tour of the Middle East, Mr Trump appealed to Qatar for help in the process.
He urged the country to use its influence over Iran to persuade its leadership to reach a deal with the US and dial back its rapidly advancing nuclear programme.
Mr Trump made the comments during a state dinner.
He said: “I hope you can help me with the Iran situation.
“It’s a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing.”
Donald Trump listens as Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (not pictured) speaks at a state dinner.
Pic: Reuters
Over the years, Qatar has played the role of intermediary between the US and Iran and its proxies – including talks with Hamas as its 19-month war with Israel grinds on.
This comes after Mr Trump told a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this week that he wants “to make a deal”.
However, he said that as part of any agreement, Iran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the Middle East.
A nuclear Iran
Mr Trump has always said Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
While Iran has always denied doing so, the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has warned that Tehran has enough enriched uranium close to weapons-grade quality for nearly six bombs.
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The US and Iran reached a nuclear deal in 2015, under Barack Obama, in which Iran agreed to drastically reduce its stockpile of uranium and limit enriching up to 3.67%.
But Mr Trump scrapped that deal in his first term.
Today, Iran enriches up to 60%, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.
Washington and Tehran have engaged in four rounds of talks since early April.
Guests used furniture as an “improvised ladder” to try to escape after the Bayesian superyacht capsized last year, a new safety report has said.
The interim report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) contains the fullest account yet of how the superyacht capsized and the last-ditch efforts of those on board to get out.
It also found that the boat may have been vulnerable to high winds, with gusts exceeding 70 knots (80.05mph) on the day of the incident.
These “vulnerabilities” were said to be “unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian” as they were not included in the stability information book carried on board.
The boat was owned by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch.
He was among seven people – including his 18-year-old daughter Hannah – who died when it sank on 19 August last year, off the coast of Sicily during a storm.
Work is now underway to recover the ship, although progress has been hampered after a diver recently died during salvage efforts.
MAIB principal investigator Simon Graves previously said it’s expected to be lifted and brought to shore by the end of May.
Chaos on board
The report, published Thursday, detailed the events of 18 and 19 August last year, how the Bayesian and its crew acted as a storm swept in and began tilting the boat overnight.
After the crew was woken up by the strong winds and waves, the captain prepared to manoeuvre the ship, the report said.
But winds were said to have suddenly spiked around 4.06am, causing the boat to “violently” tip 90 degrees in less than 15 seconds.
Mike and Hannah Lynch
“People, furniture and loose items fell across the deck,” the report said, adding that in the carnage that followed, at least five people, including Mr Lynch and the captain, were injured.
One of the crew members, who had been keeping a lookout when the storm struck, was tossed overboard into the sea.
After much of the furniture was thrown across the deck and uprooted from the rooms, two of the guests were forced to use “drawers as an improvised ladder” to escape one room.
Others similarly climbed up the walls to get out as water began flooding in over the rails, and entering the inside of the ship.
Across the capsized vessel, the report explained how various groups scrambled to escape.
The Bayesian superyacht.
Pic: Perini Navi
At the port forward wheelhouse door, one of the deckhands who had been on the lookout that night helped lift two stewards onto the upper deck.
Not seeing anyone else inside, they jumped into the sea, and the door was seemingly shut behind them.
According to the report, with Bayesian now sinking, a number of guests and crew found themselves trapped in an air pocket by the same door.
It was only with the help of an injured guest on the outside that they were able to open the door and escape.
Elsewhere, the chief officer had found Mr Lynch and “pushed [him] through cascading water” to get him to the captain.
The pair managed to evacuate two other guests this way.
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Salvage operations for the Bayesian are expected to continue this month. Pic: AP
However, amid the rough weather, the chief officer was swept to the back of the saloon.
The report details his precarious escape, jumping into the water, diving down and opening the sliding doors in the room to be able to swim free of the ship.
The report said the captain organised the “abandonment” of the ship, and as they floated there, some guests had to use cushions as improvised life rafts.
Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, who were all British nationals.
The others who died in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel.
Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, were rescued.
The fatal boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynch’s acquittal in a US trial after he was accused of a massive fraud over the sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
Through long, winding roads, we weave through a wonderland. A place of intense beauty, with wide valleys, rushing rivers and terraced hills. The roads are brimming with hand-painted trucks, slowed only by the occasional herd of goats stopping traffic.
We’re entering Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a disputed borderland at the centre of decades of conflict and at the heart of recent escalating tensions with India.
We’re with the Pakistan army on our way to Muzaffarabad, the provincial capital. Few thought this city would be hit in the recent round of strikes, but it was.
Missiles destroyed Bilal Mosque, the roof’s been ripped off, there’s a vast crater in the floor and a huge hole in the ceiling of the prayer room.
The damaged mosque’s roof has been ripped off
Jameel Akhtar is staring into the distance. His 82-year-old father Muhammad was killed in the strike. But he is able to find comfort amid the rubble.
He says: “We are Muslim. My father was martyred in this attack. That’s honour for us. Revenge against India, that is the duty of our armed forces and government and we have full faith in them.”
Jameel Akhtar
The Indian government insist this was a terror site with links to Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist group designated as a “terrorist” organisation by the UN Security Council. But the imam of the mosque, Khursheed Ul Hasan, flatly denies that accusation.
“This is an allegation from their side,” he says. “I’ve been here for 17 years and everybody knows me. I am the leader of this mosque. You can see I’m a normal person. I’m not a terrorist.”
What is striking is how close this mosque is to homes and schools. Across a narrow path, I meet Nimra Safeer who was sleeping next to the mosque when the strike came.
She was hit in the chest with shrapnel and says she now can’t sleep. She is desperate to see her government and New Delhi sit down to talk about the enduring issue that plagues this region.
“Children like me who were attacked, our education system was disturbed,” she tells me. “I want to say to India, whatever your issues, we need to sit down and resolve it. Pakistan wants peace and I want Pakistan to talk on the Kashmir issue.”
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Nimra Safeer was hit with shrapnel
Strongmen, religious nationalism and modern warfare in the mix
But she may be waiting a long time. Islamabad sounds emboldened and hopeful after the recent clashes. But India’s leader Narendra Modi is conceding nothing. He’s made clear he doesn’t want a third party like America trying to mediate and he’s made no commitment to formal talks with Pakistan either.
While the world waits to see what the diplomatic shakedown of this moment is, ordinary people on both sides fear their safety net has slipped, the threat a little deeper, a little closer, a little more dangerous now.
There’s strongmen, religious nationalism and modern warfare in the mix and a fragile truce.
Fatima, right, with her friend Syeda
School also damaged in strike
In Muzaffarabad, right opposite the mosque, is a school that was also damaged. Thankfully, the children were at home sleeping. But in the cold light of day, you can see their unease and upset.
“Our school is destroyed,” Fatima tells me, her eyes narrowing as she speaks. “I have so much anger. Because we study here. Our principal built this school. They built it for us. But India destroyed it.”
A view of Muzaffarabad
The recent skirmishes may have abated for now. But with them has come more animosity calcifying in these beautiful mountain ranges.
India has made clear its muscular response is part of a “new normal” when responding to terror. Pakistan sounds like it feels it’s scored a win against the odds. That’s a defiant dynamic that could easily unravel.
Could pressure from a third party like America signal a sudden shift in this enduring conflict? Right now, that seems unlikely. But this week has been full of surprises.
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