Aynaz Javaheri

Aynaz Javaheri (October 8, 2007 – October 8, 2022)

Aynaz Javaheri, a 15-year-old student from Kermanshah, was among those killed during Iran’s nationwide protests in 2022. Following the outbreak of demonstrations after the death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini on September 16, 2022, Aynaz joined the protests taking place in her city.
On October 8, 2022 (16 Mehr 1401 in the Iranian calendar), security forces confronted demonstrators in Kermanshah. According to reports, officers opened fire on protesters using live ammunition. During the crackdown, Aynaz Javaheri was shot in the head and face in the 22 Bahman neighborhood of Kermanshah. She died at the scene from her injuries.
After her death, security authorities reportedly pressured and threatened her family and relatives in an effort to prevent information about the killing from becoming public. Some accounts state that her body remained in the custody of security forces for a period of time and was later released to her family only after they were required to give assurances that they would remain silent.
Aynaz Javaheri was buried on October 9, 2022, under heavy security measures and with little public notice. Her funeral and memorial service were held the same day in a subdued atmosphere, and information about her burial was not widely shared due to the restrictions and pressure placed on those close to her.
According to published accounts, Aynaz had lost both of her parents and was living with her brother at the time of her death. For weeks afterward, many of her friends and classmates reportedly remained unaware of the circumstances of her killing or the location of her grave.
Only a single known photograph of Aynaz has been publicly circulated, reportedly shared by one of her classmates. As a result, she has been described as one of the least-known victims of the 2022 protests in Iran. Despite the limited public information available about her life, her name remains among those remembered as victims of the violence that accompanied those events.