Who was Mehrshad Shahidi, 19-year-old chef beaten to death amid anti-hijab protests?

Celebrity chef Mehrshad Shahidi was allegedly beaten to death by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, just a day before his 20th birthday, according to a report from The Telegraph. 

Who is Mehshad Shahidi?

Mehrshad Shahidi was a 19-year-old chef who was arrested during a protest. He was also known as Iran’s Jamie Oliver. He apparently died after being beaten on the head with batons. However, the Telegraph reported that his family was forced to say that Mehrshad had died of a heart attack. 

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Iranian authorities have denied responsibility for the death of the chef. Iran’s Chief Justice, Abdolmehdi Mousavi said that there were “no signs” of fractures on the teenagers body, according to a report from 7News. 

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Social media, however, blames the Iranian authorities. Users like Iranian American author Dr Nina Ansary wrote on Twitter, “He (Mehrshad Shahidi) was a talented young chef at Boote Restaurant. He was ruthlessly killed by security forces in Iran. Tomorrow would have been his 20th birthday. We will never forget. We will never forgive.”

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“For #MehrshadShahidi , my innocent 19-year-old cousin, who was killed yesterday in Iran. After work, on his way back to home, he was attacked by tear gas, felt off his motorcycle, and kidnapped …, later on, they called his family to come and receive his dead body..,” a person claiming to be Shahidi’s cousin wrote on Twitter. 

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Shahidi death adds to the hundreds of Iranians who have been killed by security forces in the country. Since the death of 22-year-old Masha Amini at the hands of the country’s morality police, protests have broken out with security using lethal force to quell protests and riots. 

In a bid to downplay the protests, the Iranian government has sought to portray the protests as a Western plot to destabilise the country.