Mother of Iranian protester says she cannot forget her daughter's killing 'for a second'

Nika Shakarami, 16, was one of more than 500 people killed during anti-government protests

A portrait of Nika Shakarami, centre, displayed during a vigil in Italy for protesters killed in Iran. EPA

The mother of Nika Shakarami, a teenager killed during protests in Iran last year, says she is haunted by her daughter's death.

In an interview for a BBC documentary, Nasrin Shakarami tells actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi: "I cannot forget for a second what has happened to Nika. Even in my dreams I beg her to come and talk to me."

Nika's death was one of the most high-profile during the anti-government protests. Shortly after her disappearance in late September, photos and videos of the 16-year-old went viral on social media, with users demanding to know her whereabouts.

Her mother's interview was published as the families of hundreds of people killed during the protests commemorate the first Eid al Adha without their loved ones.

Farsi-language media outlets shared images of decorated gravesites as Iran and the Muslim world celebrate Eid.

The protests were ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini while in morality police custody. Her relatives say she was beaten to death after being detained for wearing her hijab too loosely, an offence under Iran's strict dress code.

Ms Amini's hometown of Saqqez is "in mourning" this Eid, locals said online, urging people observing the holiday to hold their celebrations elsewhere.

"The people of Saqqez are mourning, mourning for all Iranian children" one user said in a post shared by Ms Amini's brother on Instagram. "Saqqez is not the place to hold a concert."

In the Kurdish city of Bukan in western Iran, large crowds of women gathered around the graves of young people killed during the protests, which spread to every province across the country in September.

Nika's mother said authorities are lying about her daughter's death, echoing public fury against the government which has dismissed the mostly young protesters as rioters backed by the West.

Authorities executed several protesters accused of killing security officers after swift trials that were widely condemned as shams.

Nika was found dead more than a week after she went missing. Authorities claimed she jumped off a building, but a death certificate from a Tehran cemetery ruled that she died from injuries after being beaten with a blunt object.

""They are not taking responsibility for killing her nor telling us who did it," Mrs Shakarami said. "They are not pursuing the case. To whom should we complain?"

She paid tribute to her daughter's "bravery and free spirit" and said sh loved her infinitely.

"She was the love of my life. Losing a child like Nika is a tragedy."