Flowers Laid In A Pool Of Blood For Crackdown Victim Mehran Shekari

A camera placed on a rooftop zooms on his body. He is lying on the ground with blood pouring from his head. His blue mask is still on his face. He wears white shoes. Many times, the camera zooms back and in.

Mehran Shekari was killed by the direct fire from a riot squad. He’s a victim of the state crackdown on protests in Karaj, capital of Alborz province in north-central Iran.

"Mehran is from Miandoab [in West Azerbaijan province]. He was living in Karaj with his uncle, who taught him plastering. In fact, he was a plasterer's apprentice," a source told IranWire.

On November 3, Shekari went to Behesht Sakineh cemetery to participate in a ceremony marking the 40th day since the death of a crackdown victim. He himself is a victim now. His uncle is said to be in critical condition after being severely injured.

The uncle “was also present at the 40th ceremony for Hadis Najafi and was severely beaten by the security forces," civil activist Doman Radmehr told IranWire.

In footage that went viral on social media, motorcycles carrying government forces in special unit uniforms are seen turning around the body. Then they put the body in the back of a small track and cover it with an advertising banner.

"The body was handed over to the family after five days, at 4 a.m., and buried in the presence of his immediate family only," Radmehr said.

A source had previously told IranWire that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps requested the family to pay 200 million tomans, or $5,500, to be handed over the body.

The IRGC told the Shekari family to bury the body immediately and according to its instructions.

Mehran Shekari was the only child in the family.

"His mother remarried after his father died. Mehran lived with his uncle and worked with him, the same uncle who went to the protest rally with Mehran and is now in a bad physical condition," the source told IranWire.