Karvan Qadershakri

Karvan Qadershakri (October 23, 2006 – November 20, 2022)

Karvan Qadershakri was a 16-year-old Iranian teenager from Piranshahr who was killed during the nationwide protests in Iran in 2022. He became one of the many young victims of the uprising and a symbol of grief, resistance, and demands for justice in Iranian Kurdistan.
On 20 November 2022, during ongoing protests in Piranshahr, Karvan was reportedly shot by Iranian security forces. According to accounts from his family and published reports, two bullets fired from a Kalashnikov rifle struck him — one hit his kidney and the other his leg. He was immediately taken to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Piranshahr, but the severity of his injuries proved fatal. His father, Idris Qadershakri, later stated that when he arrived at the hospital, his son was already dying and remained there for nearly two hours before passing away.
That same night, a group of residents gathered outside the hospital to prevent security forces from taking Karvan’s body. The atmosphere in the city was filled with anger, sorrow, and protest, as many people came together in solidarity with his family.
Karvan’s funeral became both a mourning ceremony and an act of collective protest. During the burial ceremony, his father said: “When he was born, I named him Karvan in memory of the martyrs of Kurdistan, and now I have entrusted him to that same caravan of martyrs.”
Karvan’s mother, Afsaneh Rasouli, spoke publicly several times during the funeral and memorial gatherings. Images and reports from those events showed a grieving mother standing between profound sorrow and defiance, speaking about continuing her son’s path. During the fortieth-day memorial ceremony held in Piranshahr on 30 December 2022, participants chanted slogans such as “Martyrs never die” and “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
Karvan Qadershakri’s death received significant attention on social media, in news coverage, and among people across Kurdistan and Iran. His story was later documented in reports, multimedia projects, and literary narratives. One notable account by writer Rozhan Kalehr portrayed not only the pain of his family — especially his mother — but also the broader emotional impact of his killing on the community. In these narratives, Karvan came to symbolize a generation of young people who, during the protests, were confronted far too early with violence, loss, and the struggle for freedom.