The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights announced Thursday that Barzin Hamzeh-Zadeh, a 16-year-old boy whom the Iranian government tortured, had died from his injuries.

At age 15, Hamzeh-Zadeh was arrested in 2022 during the Jin, Jiyan, and Azadi movements and was held for a week by Iranian security forces. He was regularly beaten during his time there. The Kurdish organization stated that Hamzeh-Zadeh died receiving surgery for his injuries in an Iranian hospital. He was also struggling with the mental trauma that the incident had left behind.

Hengaw stated that a source close to the boy’s family said that he was in perfect health before the protests but suffered complications, such as loss of consciousness and kidney failure, as a result of his detainment. The organization claims that the source told them the Iranian government directed his family not to publicize the boy’s death, which they ignored. The Jin, Jiyan, and Azadi protests that Hamzeh-Zadeh participated in were a series of movements in Kurdish regions of Iran and Syria meant to promote women’s rights in the Middle East. 

Hamzeh-Zadeh’s case was not an isolated incident. Many of the people arrested during the movements reported similar treatment by Iranian officials and difficulties after being released from prison as a result. Hengaw went on to claim that almost 300 children were arrested during the protests.