Young woman declared brain-dead after torture, sexual violence

Niloufar Mojaver, a young woman from Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, has been declared brain-dead after being held for 12 days and subjected to severe torture and physical and sexual violence, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned.

Her family have identified her suitor, Seyyed Ezzatoddin Seyyed-Taheri, as responsible for the crime and have filed a formal complaint against him. They said he fled after taking Mojaver to a medical centre and remains at large.

Mojaver lived with her mother and two younger brothers and had begun working at her mother’s workplace to help support the family.

It was there that she met Seyyed-Taheri, who, according to her family, tried to gain her trust and persuade her to marry him by promising to improve her living conditions and help resolve her family’s problems. Her mother opposed the marriage.

Around two weeks before the incident, Mojaver left home and disappeared. Her family said she was held at an unknown location for 12 days, during which she was subjected to severe torture and physical and sexual abuse.

On 31 August, after her condition severely deteriorated, Seyyed-Taheri took her to a medical centre in a village in Piranshahr.

Medical staff, who found her in a critical condition, immediately transferred her by ambulance to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Piranshahr.

Following specialist examinations, doctors declared Mojaver brain-dead as a result of a severe blow to the head and multiple injuries.

After doctors concluded that there was no hope of recovery, her family agreed to donate her organs to patients in need.

According to the family, Seyyed-Taheri fled near the Piranshahr road police station while Mojaver was being taken to hospital, claiming that he was going to collect identification documents.

Despite the family filing a formal complaint with the judicial authorities, no information has been released about Seyyed-Taheri’s whereabouts or the progress of the investigation.