12-year-old Kurdish boy severely injured by shotgun fire during protests, loses an eye

Hengaw – Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Taher Malekshahi, a 12-year-old Kurdish boy from Qorveh, has been severely injured after being shot in the face and eyes with pellet ammunition by Iranian government forces during recent protests, resulting in the loss of one eye and serious damage to the other. He is currently receiving intensive medical treatment in Tehran, while authorities have pressured his family to falsely claim he was wounded by “terrorists” in exchange for state recognition as a war-disabled victim.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the incident occurred on Thursday, January 8, 2026, in an alley opposite Razi Laboratory in Qorveh, when Taher was directly targeted by government forces during protests.

Witnesses and relatives reported that Taher was alone at the scene and had distanced himself from the main gathering. As security forces advanced, he took cover behind a parked vehicle. After being spotted, he raised his hands in surrender to shield his face, but was shot at close range — approximately one meter — with a shotgun firing pellet rounds, and simultaneously beaten by governemnt forces.

Eyewitnesses said multiple shotgun rounds were fired at the child, leaving more than 100 pellets embedded in his face.

Medical sources confirmed that Taher was initially treated and operated on in Qorveh, but due to the severity of his injuries and the inability of local doctors to restore his vision, he was transferred to Tehran. At Noor Hospital, surgeons were forced to remove his left eye, while vision in his right eye has only partially recovered to about 30 percent.

Images obtained by Hengaw show extensive facial injuries, severe bruising around the eyes, and dozens of pellet wounds, highlighting the extreme level of force used against a child.

Sources close to the family said that in recent days, agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Qorveh have threatened and pressured the family, proposing that if they publicly claim Taher was injured by “terrorists,” authorities would classify him as a “war-disabled veteran.” The family has rejected this demand, fearing further retaliation.

Taher is the son of Sajad Malekshahi, a former Kurdish political prisoner.

This case underscores the systematic and indiscriminate use of lethal and crowd-control weapons against civilians — including children — during Iran’s crackdown on protests.