According to information received by HANA Human Rights Organization, Farideh Salavati, wounded during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Sanandaj, underwent specialized eye surgery in Germany today, August 4, 2026, aimed at restoring part of her vision and reducing the lasting effects of her injuries.
Farideh Salavati lost her sight in both eyes during the nationwide protests of 2022 in Sanandaj, struck directly by pellets fired by Islamic Republic forces, according to information received by HANA. Nearly four years later, dozens of pellets remain lodged in her body, and the physical and psychological toll of her injuries continues to shape her health and daily life.
According to sources close to HANA, the surgery aimed to repair damage to her retina and improve the chances of recovering some of her vision. Despite her blindness and the physical and psychological burden she has carried in the years since, Salavati has continued to press for justice, document human rights violations, and advocate for the rights of others wounded during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, becoming one of the leading voices for victims of repression in Iran.
This surgery represents an effort to repair some measure of the irreparable harm inflicted on Farideh Salavati through the unlawful use of weapons against an unarmed protester. Under international human rights law, responsibility for this grave violation lies with those who fired directly, as well as with every official who played a role in ordering the crackdown, carrying it out, or perpetuating the impunity that has followed. This continued impunity violates victims’ right to truth, justice, and effective redress, and leaves the door open for such violations to happen again. HANA Human Rights Organization stresses the need to hold both those who ordered and those who carried out these grave violations accountable, to end the cycle of impunity, and to guarantee victims’ right to truth, justice, and full, effective reparation.