There's more to it than that. There are tricks to writing head lines, especially if you care about clicks/read/papers sold (which to be fair, it is a headline. It's supposed to be an attention grabbing summery, not a detailed account. That's what the body is (supposed to be) for).

Active voice requires the subject (usually the first words in a sentence) to be the Iranian police, rather than the victim.

Iranian police, being violent oppressive tyrants = we know, yawn

17 yo student, dying = investment, care, click.

Same information, different focus, different reaction.