HRANA- Using their identification cards, three member of the paramilitary Basij, kidnapped and sexually assaulted a young woman in the city of Tabriz before shooting and killing her. The three then proceeded to dump her body outside of the city. This incident has sparked outrage amongst the people of the region.

HRANA has learned, that soon after the young woman by the name of Elnaz B. who was twenty six years of age went missing, her family informed all the relevant authorities of the situation. Her body was returned to her family after a one week search and autopsy by the coroner. The coroner reported the cause of death as bullet wounds and said there were visible signs of physical and sexual assault. The security forces stated that her body was found near Imameyeh cemetery in Tabriz.
After charges were filed by the family, the security forces arrested three individuals from Tabriz who were active in the Basij. They confessed to the accusations. They said that they stopped and entered the young woman’s vehicle under the pretext of combating mal-veiling as required by the security initiative “hejab and chastity” initiated by the state security forces and the Basij. They entered her vehicle in the Vali-Asr section of Tabriz threatening her with their weapons. They then drove to the outskirts of the city where they sexually assaulted her. She was then shot three times in the chest.
The main suspect is currently in the custody of the Revolutionary Guard due to the sensitivity of the case. His membership in the paramilitary Basij force, his use of a firearm, the fact that he is related to ranking members of the Revolutionary Guard, his use of his Basij ID card and use of the pretext of combating mal-veiling has only added to public outrage.