A 12-year-old girl was shot to death by Iranian security police after they opened fire on a family car because it had tinted windows, it has emerged.

Victim Soha Etebari was travelling with her family when police opened fire at a checkpoint in Bastak, Bastak County, Hormozgan Province on 25th December, without warning.

She was rushed to hospital but died on the way.

Bizarrely, Iran’s security forces later tried to blame her death on a flat tyre on the family car.

The family were on their way from Bandar Abbas to Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan Province when security forces opened fire.

Numerous eyewitnesses confirmed that security agents had been behind the killing.

But officials later claimed that the father had tried to speed away from the checkpoint and as a result, had been shot at.

Deputy Commander of the State Security Force (SSF) of Hormozgan, Col. Moshavveq, claimed: “The SSF forces became suspicious of a Peugeot Pars vehicle with thick tinted glasses and ordered the driver to stop, but he sped away.

“Due to the road condition and the vehicle’s flat tire, unfortunately, one of the occupants of the car was shot and was taken to the hospital.”

He added that security staff had suspected that the car may have been carrying drugs.

And he accused any witnesses who say otherwise of being enemies of the state and working for foreign agents.

Soha is one of dozens of children to be shot by security forces during unrest over anti-hijab protests.

In total, 70 children or teenagers under the age of 18 are among the 500 or so people killed during protests over the death of Mahsa Amini after she was arrested and beaten by the morality police for not wearing a hijab properly.