Nasrin Roshan, a 62-year-old former political prisoner, experienced a chilling echo of her past during a protest outside the Iranian Embassy in London. A clash with police left her unconscious, a moment she described as feeling “like I was back in Iran.”
The pro-democracy activist was participating in a rally when police intervened as a protester scaled the embassy and removed the Iranian flag – following a similar act the previous day. Amidst the escalating tension, Ms. Roshan found herself struck and falling to the ground.
“It was horrible,” she recounted, her voice still shaken. “I could not speak until four o’clock in the hospital. I told the police ‘shame on you.’ It makes me very, very upset.” She insists she remained peacefully behind the barriers, attempting no interaction with officers.
Footage surfaced showing officers in riot gear wielding batons and shields, forcefully pushing back the crowd. Ms. Roshan believes a police shield directly impacted her head, causing her to lose consciousness for a harrowing 45 minutes before paramedics arrived.
The incident has reopened deep wounds from her years spent imprisoned in Iran, beginning at the age of 18. She endured a total of five and a half years behind bars, facing accusations of “assembly and collusion” during a more recent arrest in 2023.
Her experiences within the Iranian prison system were described as “mental torture,” marked by denial of necessary medication, substandard food, and prolonged isolation. The trauma continues to resonate, fueling her activism and her current distress.
Now a dedicated participant in protests against the Iranian regime, Ms. Roshan is calling for a formal apology from the Metropolitan Police. She questions her safety in a country she believed would offer refuge, stating, “I do not feel like I am in the UK, in a democratic country.”
The Met Police stated they were aware of the incident and that officers attended to the injured woman, confirming her injuries were not life-threatening. A review of available footage proved inconclusive in determining the exact cause of her injuries, and they report no formal complaint has been filed.
Ms. Roshan’s story arrives amidst a backdrop of widespread unrest in Iran, where human rights observers report nearly 500 protesters and 50 security personnel have been killed, with over 10,000 arrests made. Her experience serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for freedom and the potential for echoes of oppression to surface even in distant lands.
