'Iran's Jamie Oliver' beaten to death by regime forces during anti-hijab protests: Report

As anti-regime protests continue to rage in Iran following the custodial death of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, reports emerged from the country that celebrity chef Mehrshad Shahidi, also known as 'Iran's Jamie Oliver', was purportedly beaten to death by the country's Revolutionary Guards.

Allegedly, the tragic incident occurred a day prior to Shahidi's 20th birthday.

The Telegraph reported that Shahidi was killed on Wednesday after receiving blows to his skull while in the custody of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard in Arak city.

“Our son lost his life as a result of receiving baton blows to his head after his arrest, but we have been under pressure by the regime to say that he has died of a heart attack”, a relative of Mehrshad told Iran International TV.

His family went on to allege that they were pressured by regime officials to state falsely and publicly that Shahidi died due to a heart attack.

For their part, Iranian government officials have denied having played any role in Shahidi's killing.

Iran's Chief Justice Abdolmehdi Mousavi even said to a local news channel that there were "no signs" of fractures in his arms, legs or skull or any brain injury.

An ongoing series of protests and civil unrest against the government of Iran began in Tehran on September 16, as a reaction to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by the country's so-called Guidance Patrol for wearing an "improper" hijab — in violation of Iran's mandatory hijab law — while visiting Tehran from the city of Saqqez.

According to eyewitnesses, Amini had been severely beaten by Guidance Patrol officers, an assertion denied by Iranian authorities.

According to the non-profit organization Iran Human Rights, as of October 25, at least 234 people had been killed as a result of the government's intervention in the protests, involving tear gas and gunfire, making the protests the deadliest since the 2019–2020 protests that resulted in more than 1,500 fatalities.