Celebrity chef dubbed ‘Jamie Oliver of Iran’ beaten to death in police custody amid anti-hijab protest

Celebrity chef dubbed ‘Jamie Oliver of Iran’ beaten to death in police custody amid anti-hijab protest

Last Updated Oct - 31 - 2022, 04:31 AM | Source : FELA News

The alleged killing took place after Shahidi was arrested on October 25 for taking part in anti-government protests. In the aftermath of his death and funeral o

Mehrshad Shahidi, Iran's celebrity chef, often dubbed as 'Jamie Oliver of Iran', was allegedly battered to death in police custody. Triggering another wave of civil unrest in the country, the 19-year-old was reportedly beaten until his last breath by Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday.

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The alleged killing took place after Shahidi was arrested on October 25 for taking part in anti-government protests. In the aftermath of his death and funeral on October 29, people marched in thousands to mark their grievances against the regime in Iran.

The incident is related to raging protests in Iran's Arak where hundreds marched against the custodial death of Mahsa Amini. She was arrested for not wearing a hijab.

As per reports, Shahidi was thrashed with batons and the Iranian security forces left him bleeding with severe skull injuries. In fact, the media house Mirror mentioned that an Iranian news agency quoted Shahidi's parents as saying, "Our son lost his life as a result of receiving baton blows to his head after his arrest, but we have been under pressure by the regime to say that he died of a heart attack."

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Experts have said that the latest alleged custodial death in Iran may lead to graver protests. They perceived it as a sign of Iranian security forces trying to wipe out the month-long protests in the country against the 22-year-old Kurdish woman's death. On September 16, Amini reportedly died in custody following being tortured by Iran's moral police department. She was nabbed by Iranian authorities for not wearing a hijab or veil properly.

This was only 41 days ago.

The two developments have sealed doubts about clerical leadership in Iran as the country is gripped by demonstrations by angry crowds.

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Defying allegations in both accounts, Iranian authorities have said that both were natural deaths.

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