Shirin Alizadeh Khansari

Shirin Alizadeh Khansari(August 16, 1986 – September 22, 2022)

Shirin Alizadeh Khansari was one of the victims of the 2022 nationwide protests in Iran. On September 22, 2022, while traveling with her family in Mazandaran Province, near Motel Ghoo on the road from Tonekabon to Chalous, she was fatally shot.
In the minutes leading up to the incident, she had been recording clashes between protesters and forces stationed at a Basij base using her mobile phone. The moment the bullet struck her and caused her death was captured in the same video, which was later circulated on social media. At the time of the shooting, her seven-year-old son was also in the car and witnessed his mother’s death.
Following her killing, the return of her body to the family was delayed and took place under significant pressure from security authorities. Permission to transfer her body to Isfahan, as well as to hold a funeral and burial, was granted only after the family was forced to commit to limiting public communication. She was buried in Baghe Rezvan cemetery in Isfahan in the presence of security forces and plainclothes agents. The official burial permit listed the cause of death as “impact of a high-velocity metallic object (bullet).”
Her fortieth-day memorial ceremony was scheduled for November 4, 2022, at the same cemetery. However, security and law enforcement forces prevented the gathering by blocking entrances and dispersing attendees. Reports indicate that officers used batons, tear gas, stun guns, sound grenades, and pellet guns against the crowd. Several people, including her mother and close relatives, were injured. Despite the heavy security presence, many people still gathered and voiced protest slogans.
Pressure on the family continued after these events. According to reports, security forces initially withheld her body and threatened the family to ensure their silence. In August 2023, authorities prevented a birthday memorial at her gravesite. Shortly after, on August 17, 2023, her husband, Kourosh Vaziri, was arrested and taken to an unknown location. A few days later, on September 1, 2023, her sister, Nasrin Alizadeh, was also arrested in Isfahan. Heavy bail amounts were later set for their release.
Shirin Alizadeh Khansari, a 35-year-old mother, was effectively acting as a citizen journalist at the time of her death. The video she recorded—ending at the moment she was shot—became one of the stark and widely shared depictions of the violence during that period.
The 2022 nationwide protests in Iran, which began after the death of Mahsa Amini, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. Among them were many women, including Shirin Alizadeh Khansari—one of those who lost her life while documenting the events unfolding around her.