Iranian authorities arrest eight people after the death of the teenager Nika Shahkarami

"Death to the dictator," chant young student protesters in Iran 0:28

(CNN) --

Iranian security forces have arrested eight people in the death of a 16-year-old girl, Nika Shahkarami, in Tehran last month, Iranian media reported Tuesday.

Shahkarami's relatives told BBC Persian that they had no information about her whereabouts for 10 days before her body was found in a morgue in the capital.

Her aunt, Atash Shahkarami, told BBC Persian in an interview on Friday that her niece left her home on September 20 at around 5pm local time and was in contact with her until 7pm. .

Authorities in Iran have arrested eight people following the death of a 16-year-old girl, Nika Shahkarami, in Tehran, according to Iranian media.

Credit: Atash Shahkarami/Twitter

The aunt said a friend of Shahkarami's told her the teen posted an Instagram story of herself burning her veil, and that Shahkarami told her she was being followed by security officers.

After that, the family lost contact with Shahkarami, the aunt told BBC Persian.

The family found her 10 days later in a morgue at a detention center in the capital.

"When we went to identify her, we were not allowed to see her body, only her face for a few seconds," Atash Shahkarami told BBC Persian.

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The state-affiliated Tasnim news agency said Shahkarami was found dead on September 21 in the backyard of a house in Tehran.

Tasnim said police saw surveillance footage of Shakarami entering an adjacent building and it remains unclear how she died.

Tasnim said there is "no evidence" for "foreign media" claims that the teenager was killed by police.

The eight people detained were workers at the building Shahkarami allegedly entered, Tasnim reported.

Tehran Prosecutor Ali Salehi said a criminal court case has been opened and expressed his condolences to Shahkarami's family, according to state agency IRNA.

CNN has contacted the family for comment.

Shahkarami's relatives told BBC Persian that the teenager's body had been missing for days.

Credit: Atash Shahkarami/Twitter

Shahkarami's death comes at a time when nationwide protests are gathering steam following the death in September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died after being detained by the country's morality police. by their dress.

Girls and women across the country have protested on school and college campuses and in the streets.

Social media videos show Iranian women and girls chanting "death to the dictator" and are seen removing their mandatory veil, known as hijab, in protest.

Anti-regime demonstrations have also penetrated the Islamic Republic's power bases, including the Shiite holy cities of Mashhad and Qom.

Ethnic minorities, notably the Kurds in the north and northwest of the country, and the Balochis in the southeast, have also staged protests, enduring what appear to be some of the most brutal crackdowns, with dozens killed.

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The fierce crackdown on protesters by Iranian authorities has drawn the attention of the US, which is expected to issue new sanctions this week against law enforcement officials and those directly involved, a US official told CNN. source familiar with the intended movement.

President Joe Biden, who has moved quickly to offer his support to protesters, issued a deliberately vague statement on Monday promising more costs "for perpetrators of violence against peaceful protesters."

A source told CNN those costs are expected to be in the form of additional penalties this week, with more action to follow.

This Tuesday afternoon, CNN saw girls from a Tehran vocational institute protesting on a street near their school.

They were heard shouting "woman, life, freedom" and "dignified support for Iran" as well as "death to the dictator," a popular chant that has been heard at demonstrations across the country in recent days.

In a tribute to his niece posted on Instagram, Atash Shahkarami wrote: "May thousands and thousands of brave be born from the death of brave!

-- Jomana Karadsheh, Tamara Qiblawi and Kaitlan Collins contributed reporting.

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