Crushing Dissent Outside the Spotlight in Iran’s Provincial Cities

Arrests, Imprisonments, Death Sentences Surge in Small Towns Where Minorities Predominate

State Agents, Judges, Prison Authorities Rain Down Abuse Without Fear of Scrutiny 

August 12, 2025 — Far from the international spotlight and outside Iran’s major urban centers, a brutal state crackdown is unfolding in the country’s provincial towns.

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has documented an escalating campaign of state repression in Iran’s smaller cities outside the capital, where individuals with little to no visibility or support beyond their communities are being systematically targeted with arrests, sham trials, violent prison abuses, and executions. These actions are aimed at silencing dissent and instilling fear in marginalized communities, especially those in which Iran’s minorities predominate.

Over the past two months alone, Iranian authorities have arrested at least 58 individuals and sentenced or summoned at least 25 more—primarily activists, dissident cultural figures, bereaved family members seeking justice for loved ones killed by the state, and lawyers—many of whom are members of Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities and all outside the country’s major cities.

This campaign of repression includes arbitrary and often violent arrests, detainment and prosecution in which legal representation is denied, abuse inside prisons that includes withholding critical medical care, and a surge in politically motivated death sentences and executions, with little media attention in or outside the country. 

“In the shadows of Iran’s provincial towns, far from the global spotlight, dissent is being crushed with ruthless precision. While the Islamic Republic’s war on dissent rages across the country, in smaller cities and minority regions individuals face a level of repression that is harsher, more violent, and entirely devoid of legal safeguards. These individuals have little visibility and no protection,” said Esfandiar Aban, CHRI’s Senior Researcher.

“The Islamic Republic’s targeted assault on members of Iran’s minority communities reflects a calculated state strategy to punish marginalized populations and crush grassroots activism beyond the reach of international scrutiny,” Aban added.

CHRI urges the international community to respond decisively to this escalation. What is happening in Iran’s provinces is not peripheral; it is central to the state’s broader campaign to instill fear, dismantle civil society, and extinguish grassroots activism. 

CHRI calls on the UN and governments worldwide to warn the Iranian authorities that the world is watching and will take action against the Islamic Republic’s escalating campaign against activists and other members of civil society in Iran’s provincial communities.

According to CHRI’s research, between June 13 and August 10, 2025: 

• At least 58 activists, lawyers, and members of justice-seeking families were arbitrarily and often violently arrested in Iran’s provincial towns. (See list of individuals at end of article)
• At least 25 activists, lawyers, and cultural figures were either sentenced or summoned to court. (See list of individuals at end of article)
• At least 11 political prisoners were subjected to judicial abuses, including enforced disappearances in prison, denial of medical care and medication, and the issuance of new prison sentences. (See list of individuals at end of article)
• At least 6 were executed for espionage and collaboration with Israel. Among them were three Kurdish prisoners—Adriss Ali, Azad Shojaei, and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul—executed in Urmia Prison, and Majid Masibi, executed in Isfahan Prison.
• At least 8 were sentenced to death. Ali (Soran) Ghasemi, Pezhman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, and Tifour Salimi Babamiri—Kurdish protesters arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in Bukan—were collectively sentenced to 12 death sentences, long prison terms, and heavy fines. Farshad Etemadifar from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, and two Arab citizens from Ahvaz, Masoud Jamei (Bavi) and Alireza Mardasi (Hamidavi), were each sentenced to two death sentences and one year in prison.

Key Findings:

Following the U.S. and Israel’s attacks on Iran, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary and security agencies — including the Ministry of Intelligence, which is under the authority of President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s (IRGC) Intelligence Organization — have carried out a sweeping campaign of terror in Iran’s provincial towns targeting civil, political, and cultural activists, justice-seeking families, and independent lawyers.

• Arbitrary and violent arrests: Most arrests were carried out arbitrarily and with excessive force. Security and plainclothes agents frequently raided the homes of activists, arresting them in an extremely violent manner that, in many cases, caused additional trauma to their families, including children who were present.
• Disproportionate targeting of minorities: Activists and detainees from religious and ethnic minority communities have been disproportionally targeted and have faced markedly harsher and more violent treatment compared to others.
• Systematic denial of due process: The vast majority of those arrested in provincial towns were denied access to legal counsel, while some were even deprived of the right to contact their families.
• Opaque and discriminatory sentencing: During this period, numerous activists in provincial areas were subjected to opaque judicial proceedings, resulting in discriminatory sentences, including executions, lengthy prison terms, and flogging. Many others were also summoned to court on politically motivated charges.
• Escalating pressure on prisoners: Many prisoners in provincial prisons faced deliberate medical neglect, enforced disappearances within prison facilities, fabricated new cases brought against them, and the issuance of additional prison sentences.
• Dire prison conditions: Prison conditions, particularly in Kurdish and Arab-majority regions, remain extremely harsh. In most provincial prisons, the legal requirement to separate prisoners based on the nature of their alleged crimes is systematically ignored.

CHRI notes that under the criteria of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran and the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, this pattern of state repression warrants an international accountability mechanism, including referral to special councils and the prosecution of responsible officials in third countries under the principle of universal jurisdiction.

Activists and Former Political Prisoners Describe Abuses Inflicted Without Scrutiny

Over the last few weeks CHRI has spoken directly to multiple individuals inside Iran—activists, former political prisoners, and lawyers—who described the state’s escalating campaign of repression in these provincial communities.

They recount the chronic conditions of abuse that typically occurs in these communities far from the spotlight—harassment and threats by intelligence agents, arbitrary arrests, judges issuing draconian sentences without cause, political prisoners thrown together with criminals and then denied critical medical care—and how these abuses have intensified over the last two months. 

INTERVIEW: Woman Activist from a Small Northern Town Stripped of Livelihood

A woman civil activist, journalist, and mother of two who is the sole provider for her family lives in a small town in North Khorasan Province. Once the publisher of a local magazine, she was arrested and sentenced to more than two years in prison following the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests of 2022. At the same time, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance revoked her publication license, stripping her of her livelihood for the past three years.

In an interview with CHRI, she shared her account of how civil and political activists are arrested in Iran’s small towns:

“Sometimes, in small towns, if you are arrested during the day and in public, it can have one advantage—familiar faces may see you and inform your family and loved ones. When I was arrested for the first time about 10 years ago, I was on the street with my two children, who were 4 and 6 years old. Suddenly, Intelligence Ministry agents came toward me. One grabbed my hands, another pushed my head down as if I were a dangerous criminal, and they dragged me toward their car. My children were left standing in the middle of the street. In that very moment, I saw an acquaintance passing by and managed only to tell them to take my children to my mother’s house.”

Regarding her arrest after the Woman, Life, Freedom protests erupted, she said:

“But in October 2022, IRGC Intelligence agents in my town arrested me on charges of leading the protests, and the way they arrested me then was completely different. One early morning, five cars and five or six motorcycles carrying armed forces, along with a filming team, stormed my mother’s house and violently arrested me in front of my 73-year-old mother.

“They sat me facing a blank white wall, placed a blank sheet of paper in front of me, and their first question was: ‘Do you have any medical conditions? Are you on any medication?’ I said yes because I take heart and thyroid medication. Immediately, the interrogator said: ‘Well, that doesn’t matter to us. No one is going to bring you your medicine.’”

She also described her experience of interrogation and detention in the Intelligence Ministry’s “safe houses”:

“In small towns, minimum standards that should be followed during arrest and interrogation are ignored. For example, there is supposed to be a female officer present in a safe house when a female detainee is held there. When Intelligence Ministry agents once transferred me to a ‘safe house’ for detention and interrogation, shortly after my arrival, the female agents left, and I was left alone with two male agents. This had a very intimidating effect—it was a clear form of coercion. This was in addition to the verbal threats and psychological torture that the interrogators subjected me to.”

In recent months, she described how the situation has worsened further. She has faced repeated threats from Intelligence Ministry officials, and explained how security forces use intimidation tactics against activists in small towns:

“Often, threats against political and labor activists don’t come in the form of summonses, interrogations, or threatening phone calls. In many cases, these threats target the activist’s family members and relatives because of the tight control security forces have over activists. For example, in recent months, I’ve repeatedly received messages from security agents saying: ‘If you want your teenage son to play for one of the top football teams in Iran in the future, let us know, and we’ll make it happen.’ They know my son loves football, but they also know I will never agree to collaborate with them. This means that as long as I remain active, even if my son is extremely talented, he will never get the chance he deserves. Lately, they’ve also told me several times that if I agree to cooperate, they’ll grant me a license to run a publication again.

“One of the biggest challenges for activists in small towns who are facing political or judicial cases is making a living. For someone like me, who is the head of a household, there are practically no employment opportunities. This is the reality for many other activists in small towns as well.”

INTERVIEW: Sick Prisoners Are “Isolated and Helpless,” Housed with Violent Criminals 

Once individuals are detained or imprisoned in these small towns, the conditions they face are exceptionally inhumane and unlawful. In an interview with CHRI, a former political prisoner and civil activist who was imprisoned for several years in a small-town prison in central Iran, described the state of medical care for sick prisoners in these provincial prisons:

“The situation for political prisoners with medical conditions in provincial prisons across the country is very poor. There is essentially no oversight of prison treatment toward these detainees. Prison authorities, knowing how difficult it is for the voices of sick prisoners to reach outside, subject them to all sorts of mistreatment. Conditions for sick prisoners in Tehran prisons may also be poor, but the high number of political prisoners, the culture of solidarity and mutual aid among political prisoners, and even minimal or symbolic judicial oversight make their situation somewhat better. But in provincial prisons, a sick political prisoner in need of treatment is truly isolated and helpless.”

According to this activist, one of the most critical issues for political prisoners in the provinces is the lack of required segregation of prisoners by crime type, unlike larger city prisons, where prisoners are generally separated by charges.

“In large cities, due to the high number of prisoners and multiple prison buildings, inmates serve their sentences separated by the nature of their crimes. But in recent years, in smaller towns, often the city’s only central prison—which is overcrowded beyond capacity—has been used to imprison not only labor, ideological, and political prisoners, but also criminals [including violent criminals]. This has caused many problems for them.

“The most serious problems for political and labor activists in provincial prisons are: lack of separation of prisoners by crime or based on drug use, lack of adequate facilities, and insufficient oversight of prisoners’ nutrition. On top of all this, due to the extreme poverty of many prisoners charged with public and violent crimes and their desperate need to stay close to prison officials, many prisoners become informants. Their behavior is ultimately used as a basis for fabricating cases or applying pressure against political prisoners and detained activists.”

INTERVIEW: No Lawyers, Judges Act Without Any Restraints

In an interview with CHRI, a labor activist who was released over a year ago from a prison in one of Iran’s smaller cities spoke about the issues and hardships routinely faced in court and during the judicial process in these provinces, where there are virtually no human rights lawyers, and judges issue blatantly excessive and unlawful sentences with impunity. 

“One of the main problems for detained activists in court is the lack of access to a lawyer of their choice. In many small cities across Iran, there are no human rights lawyers at all. And even when there are, they often face serious judicial and security threats. For example, take Mohammad Najafi [a human rights lawyer imprisoned in Iran since 2018], he was active in Arak and has now been imprisoned for years.

“Another issue is the courtroom atmosphere and judicial procedures. Look at Tehran’s Revolutionary Court—judges like Salavati and Iman Afshari are infamous for handling so-called security cases exclusively. As notorious and ruthless as they are, due to media scrutiny, they sometimes refrain from issuing sentences like flogging just to maintain a façade of legal logic in political or labor-related cases. But in local courts, judges apply completely different standards when dealing with activists and issuing rulings. In some smaller towns, flogging sentences are readily handed down to labor and political activists, and the local judiciary not only has no qualms about such rulings but often issues these unreasonable verdicts to demonstrate loyalty to the broader judicial system.”

INTERVIEW: “The judge needed no prosecutor or plaintiff—he embodied them all.”

A women’s rights activist and former political prisoner from a provincial town told CHRI:

“When I first appeared in court, I didn’t have a lawyer, but I thought I could defend myself because I hadn’t done anything illegal. It wasn’t until I entered the courtroom that I realized the law and the right to defense before an impartial judge didn’t exist. I realized then that everyone in that courtroom was against me, and no one was there to hear my side. In reality, the judge needed no prosecutor or plaintiff—he embodied them all.”

Political Prisoners in Outer Provinces Now Under Intensified Pressure

Individuals from these provincial towns also recounted to CHRI that political prisoners serving their sentences in these smaller town prisons have recently come under increased pressure by the authorities, including being subjected to enforced disappearances. 

INTERVIEW: Transfer and Detention of Teachers’ Union Activist

Abolfazl Khoran, a teachers’ union activist, was transferred from Arak Prison to an unknown location as of June 13, 2025. Khoran was arrested on January 21, 2025, to serve his sentence in Arak Prison. In September 2023, he was sentenced by Branch 105 of the Arak Criminal Court to six years in prison and 74 public lashes on charges of “insulting sacred values” and “disturbing public order and peace.”

An informed source familiar with Khoran’s case told CHRI: 

“Abolfazl Khoran is a conscientious teacher and civil activist who, in recent years—especially after the Woman, Life, Freedom movement—was very active in Arak. His activities ranged from participating in teachers’ labor gatherings to attending memorials for victims of the movement and helping organize anniversary ceremonies for them. Security and intelligence forces in Arak monitored him closely, and ultimately, along with several other citizens, he was arrested on fabricated charges.”

The source described the process of fabricating charges against Khoran in Arak and the issuing of his six-year prison sentence and lashes:

“Two years ago, on an evening in August that coincided with Tasua (Imam Hussein’s martyrdom commemorated by Shia Muslims), a large group of people and teachers’ labor activists had gathered at the grave of Mehrzad Shahidi [one of the victims of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Arak]. Mr. Khoran was present at the ceremony and recited poetry. After his recitations and speech, the crowd applauded him. The day after the ceremony, a man named Masoud Pirayesh—the head of the Central Province’s Sports and Youth Board, also a eulogist and son-in-law of one of the IRGC commanders in Arak—gathered a large group of plainclothes agents at the cemetery. They began shouting slogans against the attendees at Mehrzad Shahidi’s ceremony, claiming that “counterrevolutionaries” had gathered beside the grave of a “rioter” and that on Tasua day, they had recited poetry, applauded, and disrespected religious sanctities.”

According to the source: 

“The day after this street demonstration organized by Masoud Pirayesh and the plainclothes agents, 11 participants—including Abolfazl Khoran—were arrested following raids on their homes. This arrest demonstrated that the security forces staged a pre-planned scenario to influence the court’s verdict. Several CCTV cameras surrounded Mehrzad Shahidi’s grave, and if they had intended to arrest individuals, they could have done so through that footage, but instead, they staged this demonstration. Eventually, the court judge sentenced the detainees to public lashes, citing the claim of disrespect to Tasua and religious rituals.”

The source added that such fabricated cases and their execution by influential plainclothes agents routinely occur in small towns.

Medical Neglect of Political Prisoners Is Endemic in Provincial Prisons

The deliberate denial of medical care—including critical care—is an issue throughout all of the Islamic Republic’s prisons, and it is a tool particularly used by prison authorities to punish political prisoners. Yet the practice is especially severe in small-town and outer province prisons, where there is less scrutiny and the authorities are able to engage in a practice that the UN has said is tantamount to torture, with impunity.

The following cases are just a few of the known cases of political prisoners in provincial prisons suffering from serious health conditions for which they are being denied medical care:

• Eshkan Fahim, a cultural and literary activist and political prisoner held in Mahabad Prison, West Azerbaijan Province, has been deprived of medical care despite suffering from heart disease and severe vision impairment. Despite medical confirmation of his need for specialist treatment, prison authorities have refused medical transfers or even short-term medical leave. 

A source close to his family told the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA): “Despite severe blurred vision and severe eye pain, and despite the prison doctor confirming his need for specialist care, even short-term leave for Fahim to visit an ophthalmologist has been denied. The prison infirmary lacks the most basic medical equipment, and requests to transfer prisoners to outside medical centers are routinely rejected by the responsible institutions.”

• Rahman Tabesh, imprisoned in Oshnavieh Prison, West Azerbaijan Province, since July 2025, faces deteriorating health and lack of proper medical attention. Although medical staff recommended specialized treatment outside prison, the IRGC Intelligence rejected this.
• Ghadir Kharamanfar, a 60-year-old activist in Mahabad Prison, West Azerbaijan Province, with multiple chronic illnesses (coronary artery disease, fatty liver, hypertension, and knee arthritis), was briefly examined during a hospital transfer last month but denied proper treatment and returned to prison. He was arrested without a judicial warrant during a mass crackdown on activists in December 2024 and remains in pretrial detention. Prison doctors and specialists have deemed urgent hospitalization necessary. An informed source told CHRI:

“On June 18, 2025, Kharamanfar was transferred in handcuffs and shackles to Mahabad hospital, where he was examined by a physician for only one hour before being returned to prison without proper treatment. He was arrested without a judicial order during a wave of activists’ arrests on December 15, 2024, and taken to Urmia detention center. After two months, he was transferred to Mahabad Prison, where he remains held in temporary detention.”

• Masoud Jamei, a political prisoner at Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz, sentenced to two death penalties and additional imprisonment by the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court on July 11, 2025, suffers from stomach cancer, liver problems, high blood pressure, and internal infections. Poor prison conditions have further worsened his illnesses.
• Rouhollah Kavousi, detained in Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz, for nearly two years, suffers from untreated injuries sustained during his arrest in September 2023, including multiple fractures and severe leg damage impairing mobility. Despite ongoing pain, he is denied access to specialized medical care outside prison.

A source close to his family told HRANA: “During his arrest, Mr. Kavousi fell from the roof of a building while fleeing security forces, causing multiple fractures. Despite his condition, security forces transferred him directly to prison without proper medical care. The injuries from this accident remain visible almost two years later, especially severe damage to his left leg, which has made walking very difficult in recent months. Still, he has been denied transfer to specialized medical centers outside prison and access to proper medical services.”

• Isa Ebrahimzadeh, a labor and agricultural activist from Oshnavieh and one of the detainees of the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, is currently imprisoned at Naqadeh Central Prison, West Azerbaijan Province, in poor conditions marked by inadequate hygiene, insufficient nutrition, and lack of medical care. He suffers from respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. Despite his critical health, officials have refused to grant him medical leave.
• Abbas Vahidian Shahroudi, a political prisoner imprisoned in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, is facing severe health deterioration, including heart problems, but prison authorities have refused to transfer him to a hospital or allow an examination by a cardiologist.
• Eman Jalalinejad, a teacher imprisoned in Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz, is reported to have severe leg discoloration and bruising indicative of serious medical issues, yet prison officials have taken no medical action and refuse to transfer him to medical centers.

Cases of Arbitrary Extensions of Prison Sentences Also Increasing

The issuance of new sham charges and convictions, thereby extending the prison sentences of individuals already imprisoned on political charges, is also occurring. For example:

• Ali Jahaniyan, a poet and political activist, and his wife Fereshteh Soori were sentenced to a combined six years in prison by the Nahavand Revolutionary Court on July 28, while already serving previous sentences in Malayer Prison, Hamedan province.
• Shahab Nazari, a political prisoner in Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz, had his sentence increased to 10 years after the consolidation of multiple cases on July 2, 2025. He had previously been sentenced to a total of four years and 91 days in two separate cases. Branch 14 of the Court of Appeals doubled his sentence. The harshest sentence is five years for “insulting Islamic sanctities,” with additional sentences including two years for “spreading falsehoods,” two years for “insulting the Supreme Leader,” and one year for “propaganda against the regime.”

List of Known Detainees

According to research undertaken by CHRI, between June 13, 2025 and August 3, 2025, at least 58 political, civil, and cultural activists, lawyers, and members of justice-seeking families were arbitrarily and often violently arrested in Iran’s provincial towns. They include:

1. June 13, 2025: Ebrahim Parsamehr, a licensed attorney, was arrested by IRGC Intelligence agents violently at his home and transferred to Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz. Agents searched his residence as well. Parsamehr is known for representing Christian converts, who are severely persecuted in the Islamic Republic.
2. June 13, 2025: Pedram Mohammadzadeh, a poet, writer, and researcher from Rahimabad, Rudsar, in Gilan Province, northern Iran, was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in Rudsar. He remains in detention at Rudsar Prison, held in legal limbo and denied the right to separation of prisoners based on their charges.
3. June 14, 2025: Majid Shabdini, political activist from Lahijan, in Gilan Province, northern Iran, and former detainee of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, was re-arrested.
4. June 16, 2025: Sajjad Mashhadi Hematabadi, a political activist from Mashhad, in Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.
5. June 16, 2025: Alvand Banaeian, a political activist from Isfahan, Isfahan Province, central Iran, was arrested when security forces violently raided his family home without presenting a warrant. He is being held in the quarantine section at Dastgerd Prison, and his family has not been able to obtain any information about his situation.
6. June 17, 2025: Tohid Amir Amini, an Azerbaijani activist, was arrested and transferred from a security detention center in Ardabil in northwestern Iran to the local prison.
7. June 18, 2025: Karim Ghaderpour, father of Avat Ghaderpour, a protester killed in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, was arrested in Bukan, West Azerbaijan Province, in northwestern Iran.
8. June 18, 2025: Sahar Mamizadeh, a civil activist from Ardabil in northwestern Iran, was violently arrested by IRGC agents.
9. June 18, 2025: Ali Mohammadi, the father of Shahriar Mohammadi, who was killed during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, was arrested in the city of Bukan. Two weeks after his arrest, his son, Milad Mohammadi, wrote on his personal X page: 

“On the first night of my father’s detention at the Bukan Intelligence Office, he was subjected to severe torture, which caused him to lose consciousness. Fearing for his deteriorating condition, the intelligence agents immediately transferred him to Shahid Gholipour Hospital in Bukan. However, fearing that something might happen to my father and that they would be held responsible for his life, they abandoned him in the hospital without informing the family, without any escort, and without any independent medical care, then fled.”

1. June 18, 2025: Feyzollah Azarnoush, the father of Pedram Azarnoush, who was killed during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, was arrested in Yasuj. A few days later, he was transferred to the general ward of Yasuj Prison. According to IranWire: “Mr. Azarnoush faces serious health issues, including severe lumbar disc problems for which he has undergone two surgeries, as well as heart problems that prevent him from standing or performing simple physical activities. He is a retired army veteran who has repeatedly faced threats and even had his pension cut due to his efforts to seek justice for his son.”
2. June 19, 2025: Pouria Nasiri, a law student at Azad University in Mahabad who had a prior arrest record, was detained without a judicial warrant by security forces on a street in Mahabad.
3. June 19, 2025: Arian Mashaikhi, one of the eye injury victims of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, was arrested in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, in northwest Iran. 
4. June 19, 2025: Sadegh Mahmoudnejad, another eye injury victim from the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, was arrested in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, in northwest Iran. 
5. June 19, 2025: Edris Rasouli, a political activist in Oshnavieh, West Azerbaijan Province, in northwest Iran, was arrested by security forces.
6. June 19, 2025: Kamran Rasouli, brother of Edris Rasouli and also a political activist in Oshnavieh, was arrested by security forces.
7. June 19, 2025: Esmail Esmaeilpour, a 60-year-old civil activist in Bukan, was arrested by security forces at 2 a.m. in his home without a judicial warrant.
8. June 19, 2025: Anwar Bayzidi, a civil activist and member of the Prisoners’ Support Association, was arrested by security forces in Bukan and transferred to an unknown location.
9. June 20, 2025: Dr. Hassan Bagherinia, a former university professor expelled following the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, was arrested along with his wife, Fatemeh Nozadi, in a raid on his home by security forces in Mashhad. 
10. June 20, 2025: Rahman Hosseini (Delavaran), a political activist, was arrested following a raid on his home in Piranshahr.
11. June 20, 2025: Ahmad Mamsharifi, a political activist residing in Piranshahr, was arrested in his home.
12. June 20, 2025: Hamid Dastvaneh, a civil activist from Dehdasht and former political prisoner, was arrested.
13. June 20, 2025: Omar Mohammadi, a poet and writer from Oshnavieh, was arrested after a security raid on his family home and transferred to a security detention center in Urmia.
14. June 21, 2025: Kaysan Shahabi, a citizen of Izeh in Khuzestan province, was violently arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents in his city and transferred to an unknown location. He had also been arrested previously during the 2022 protests.
15. June 21, 2025: Khaled Bakri, a former political prisoner from Mahabad, was arrested at his home.
16. June 21, 2025: Mohammad Bakri, a former political prisoner from Mahabad, was arrested at his home.
17. June 21, 2025: Saadoun Ghazali, a 60-year-old political activist from Mahabad, was arrested at his home by security forces.
18. June 21, 2025: Mohammad Ascharavi (Asakareh), a 16-year-old boy, was arrested without a judicial warrant at his family home. He was transferred to an unknown location and his whereabouts remains unknown. According to an informed source, the reason for his arrest was reciting critical poems against the regime at a gathering in Ramshir city. He had recently refused to appear twice at the Abadan Intelligence Office.
19. June 21, 2025: Soleiman Qader Golvani, the brother of Abdolsalam Qaderi Golvani, who was killed during the 2022 nationwide protests, was arrested by security forces in Oshnavieh. The arrest occurred at his family home without a judicial warrant.
20. June 22, 2025: Kourosh Hatami, arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests in Urmia, was detained by Intelligence Corps forces and transferred to an unknown location.
21. June 22, 2025: Amirhossein Mohseni, a civil activist in Dehdasht, was arrested and transferred to Dehdasht prison after several days in the local Intelligence detention center.
22. June 23, 2025: Mohammadreza Ehsanifard, a 28-year-old young artist known by the stage name “Khalegh,” was arrested by security forces in Yazdanshahr, Najafabad. A source told CHRI: “Alongside his work as a hairdresser, Mohammadreza produced protest rap music, candidly addressing the pain of the people, corruption, and oppression of the regime. Security forces raided his home at night, arrested him, and confiscated his and his wife’s mobile phones.”
23. June 23, 2025: Kianoush Cheraghi, a former political prisoner and political activist arrested during the 2022 protests, was detained without a judicial warrant by security forces at his home in Dehloran.
24. June 24, 2025: Ali Ghabchaq Shahi, a writer and theater director from Naqadeh, was arrested by security forces in the city and transferred to an unknown location.
25. June 24, 2025: Rahim Baqal Asghari, a writer and cartoonist, was arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents in Tabriz and transferred to an unknown location.
26. June 26, 2025: Jalal Khodamoradi, a civil activist from Sanandaj, was violently arrested by security forces without a judicial warrant and transferred to an unknown location. His mobile phone and CCTV hard drives were confiscated.
27. June 27, 2025: Behnaz Mahjoubi, the sister of the slain Sufi dervish Behnam Mahjoubi, was arrested by plainclothes security forces at her workplace in Kerman and transferred to an unknown location.
28. June 28, 2025: Hossein Vahedi (Dariush Ashkani), a board member of the North Khorasan Teachers’ Union, was sent to Bojnord prison to serve a one-year sentence.
29. June 29, 2025: Samko Maroufi, an environmental activist and resident of Bukan, was arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents and transferred to an unknown location.
30. June 30, 2025: Security forces raided the home of Malek Farajbeigi, an environmental and civil society activist from Bukan, violently arrested her, and transferred her to an unknown location in Urmia. According to a source, “Over 20 security agents broke down the door, arrested her in front of her family without a judicial warrant, and seized some of her personal and household belongings.”
31. July 1, 2025: Esmail Saniyar, a former political prisoner and civil activist from Bukan, was arrested in the village of Dashband. He had previously been sentenced to two and a half years for “collaboration with PJAK.”
32. July 1, 2025: Mousa Omidi was arrested at his home in Ilam by security forces without a judicial warrant. According to a source, during the arrest, his mobile phone, laptop, and books were confiscated.
33. July 7, 2025: Amjad Geryakhiz, a labor activist from Sanandaj, was arrested to serve a prison sentence and transferred to the local jail.
34. July 10, 2025: Khodr Rasouli, a former political prisoner, was arrested by Intelligence Ministry forces in Mahabad.
35. July 10, 2025: Klara Rasouli, daughter of Khodr Rasouli, was arrested along with her father by Intelligence Ministry agents in Mahabad. Security forces violently raided their family home, intimidated and insulted them, and then transferred them to a security detention center in Urmia.
36. July 11, 2025: Mansour Rahimi, a labor activist and resident of Mahabad, was arrested at his father’s home. His electronic devices were confiscated by agents. Rahimi had previously been summoned by Mahabad Intelligence on May 9 after posting about a protest by seasonal farmers and workers.
37. July 13, 2025: Erfan Khazaei, one of the victims of the 2022 protests, was arrested along with his wife, Neda Kargar, in a raid at his family home by security agents in Kermanshah. Other family members were beaten, and Neda Kargar was released a few hours later. A source told CHRI: “More than 60 security agents violently stormed the Khazaei home, and during the arrest and assault, Erfan’s 3-year-old child was severely traumatized and hospitalized hours later. Agents also held a gun to Erfan’s 9-year-old daughter’s head, threatening her to reveal the whereabouts of phones and laptops.”
38. July 15, 2025: Sasan Chamanara, a resident of Ilam, was arrested by security forces and transferred to an unknown location.
39. July 16, 2025: Mahsa Shafiei, sister of Nima Shafiei, a victim of the 2022 protests, was arrested violently after an Intelligence Ministry raid on her father’s home.
40. July 18, 2025: Rezita Rezaei, a fiction writer from Rasht, was interrogated at Branch 4 of Rasht Prosecutor’s Office. After the session, she was arrested and transferred to Lakkan prison in Rasht.
41. July 18, 2025: Amir Ali Zakrifard, a civil activist and former political prisoner from Ilam, was arrested by security forces. A source close to him told CHRI: “Amir Ali and his brother Emad were also arrested during the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ protests. Back then, security forces raided their mother’s house, destroyed belongings, and caused such fear that their 70-year-old mother suffered a stroke. The brothers were transferred to the Intelligence Detention Center in Ilam and tortured physically and mentally for 15 days during forced confessions. Amir Ali suffered injuries to his head, neck, and shoulder, and Emad suffered injuries to his head and legs. Emad also suffered a heart attack and, despite his poor health, was interrogated without medical care.”
42. July 20, 2025: Morteza Pirzadeh, a cultural activist in North Khorasan, was arrested by intelligence agents in Shirvan and transferred to an unknown location.
43. July 22, 2025: Leila Saremi, mother of political prisoner Farzad Moazami Goudarzi, held in Tehran’s Great Prison, was arrested violently at her home in Borujerd. Security forces confiscated all family electronics and transferred her to solitary confinement in Tircheh Block Prison, Borujerd.
44. July 29, 2025: Forough Khosravi, a primary school teacher in Behbahan, was arrested by IRGC agents. On June 20, her home was searched by six Intelligence agents, including two women officers, who entered without a warrant and caused fear and intimidation. They confiscated her mobile phone and some personal belongings. Her daughter was home during the raid and was severely frightened.
45. August 2, 2025: Hossein Mohammadi, a former political prisoner from Bukan, was arrested after being summoned to the Intelligence Office’s news headquarters. Security agents had previously raided his family home but could not find him. His vehicle was seized.
46. August 2, 2025: Sahar Soltani, a child rights activist and PhD graduate in philosophy of education, was arrested in Bandar Anzali and transferred to Lakkan prison in Rasht. Sahar has years of experience working in children’s education, particularly children’s literature, philosophy education, and social and parenting skills.
47. August 4, 2025: Ayoub Javanpour, a well-known civil activist from Saqez, was re-arrested by security forces. He had a previous arrest record related to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests and was reported to be in poor health at the time of arrest.
48. August 5, 2025: Rouhollah Karki, a resident of Andimeshk, was arrested by security forces and transferred to an unknown location. Rouhollah is the brother of Amin Karki, who was arrested during the 2018 nationwide protests and died under suspicious circumstances in April 2018 after a second arrest.
49. August 6, 2025: Masoud Bakhtiari, a labor activist, was arrested by the Cyber Police (FATA) in the city of Arak. A source familiar with the case confirmed the news with CHRI, stating:

“Mr. Bakhtiari was the admin of a Telegram channel where he raised criticisms and issues related to workers, as well as various matters concerning Arak, including financial corruption involving certain officials. The reason for his arrest was reportedly the publication of a critical post about Dori Najafabadi (the Friday Prayer Leader of Arak).”

List of Known Sentences and Summonses

According to research by CHRI, between June 13 and August 3, 2025, at least 25 activists, lawyers, and cultural figures were either sentenced or summoned to court.

• 1. Bakhtiar Rahmani, a teacher from Gachsaran, was summoned to Branch 4 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in the city.
• 2. Arman Shadivand, an environmental activist, was subjected to a sentence of 30 lashes, which was carried out by the Sentence Enforcement Branch of the Darreh Shahr Prosecutor’s Office.
• 3. Younes Azadbar, a resident of Rasht, was summoned to Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in the city.
• 4. Kamran Sakhtemangar, a labor activist from Sanandaj, was sentenced by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court to three months of discretionary imprisonment and a 30-million-toman fine.
• 5. Abbas Sharifi, a civil activist from Behshahr and a detainee of the 2022 nationwide protests, was transferred to Zahak in Sistan and Baluchestan Province to begin serving his two-year sentence in exile. He had previously been released from Behshahr Prison in June 2025 under electronic monitoring.
• 6. Naser Hemmati, a psychiatrist, writer, poet, and civil activist from Abdanan in Ilam Province, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• 7. Behnam Nezadi, a lawyer, was summoned to Branch 7 of the Criminal Sentence Enforcement Office at Arak Revolutionary Court to continue serving his prison term.
• 8-15. Shahnaz Rezaei, Zahra Azizi, Mitra Nikpour, Fatemeh Yazdani, Leila Afshar, Majid Naderi, Mohammadreza Behzadpour, and Hossein Rashidi Zarandi, eight teacher union activists in Kerman, were collectively sentenced on August 3, 2025, by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Hadi Aghaee-Pour, to eight years and six months of discretionary imprisonment.
  • Naderi received one year for “membership in anti-state group to disrupt national security,” four months for “propaganda against the state,” and four months for “insulting the Supreme Leader.”
  • Rashidi Zarandi was sentenced to one year for “membership in anti-state group” and four months for “insulting Khomeini and Khamenei.”
  • Behzadpour received one year for “membership in anti-state group” and four months for “propaganda against the state.”
  • Yazdani, Nikpour, Azizi, Afshar, and Rezaei Sharifabadi were each sentenced to six months for “membership in anti-state group” and four months for “propaganda against the state.”

• 16 and 17. Mohammadzaman Kamrava and Morad Zohrabi, retired social security workers from Ahvaz, were each sentenced to two years in prison by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court for participating in pensioners’ protests in February 2022.
• 18. Zina Faridounian, a retired teacher from Qorveh, was sentenced in two separate cases by the city’s Revolutionary Court to over 13 months of discretionary imprisonment and three years of suspended imprisonment. She was also banned from leaving the country. After refusing to serve her sentence under electronic monitoring, her case was referred to the Sentence Enforcement Office. Faridounian had also been supporting vulnerable families in Qorveh with marriage and basic living expenses.
• 19. Sajjad Haeri, a writer, director, and Kurdish language educator from Ilam and resident of Damavand, was summoned on August 3, 2025, to Branch 3 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Damavand on charges of “disturbing public opinion through spreading falsehoods.” He was temporarily released on one billion toman bail. According to a source, the charges were related to his Kurdish language activism and support for the “No to Executions Wednesdays” campaign. Haeri is the brother of political prisoner Ahmadreza Haeri, currently held in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj.
• 20. Farshad Dastmardi, a political activist from Dehdasht, was sentenced on June 21, 2025, by Branch 102 of the Criminal Court Two in Kohgiluyeh to six years, three months, and one day of imprisonment. According to a source, the charges included “inciting the public on the anniversary of the revolution in Dehdasht Square,” “organizing protest gatherings,” and “distributing anti-regime handwritten slogans.” The case relied on reports by security agencies, video footage, testimony from another defendant, and confessions allegedly obtained under torture.
• 21. Soheila Motai, a women’s rights activist and detainee from the March 8 protests in Dehgolan—and participant in the 2022 protests—was sentenced by the Islamic Republic judiciary to three months of discretionary imprisonment and three years of suspended imprisonment.
• 22. Jowhar Harki, an environmental and Kurdish language activist, was sentenced on July 7, 2025, by the Revolutionary Court of Oshnavieh, presided over by Judge Ali Ansari, to 10 months in prison for “propaganda against the state in favor of opposition groups.”
• 23. Saeed Dehghan-Nasab, a civil activist from Yasouj (born 1991), was summoned on June 27, 2025, to Branch 5 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Kohgiluyeh on the charge of “propaganda against the state,” in a case reportedly fabricated by security agencies.
• 24. Toomaj Salehi, an artist and social activist, was summoned on June 27, 2025, to Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court in Isfahan for a hearing scheduled for July 1. The charges in the case include “inciting people to war and bloodshed to disrupt national security,” “propaganda against the state,” and “insulting religious sanctities.”
• 25. Abolfazl Khoran, an imprisoned teacher in Arak prison, was sentenced on Sunday, August 10, by the Arak Criminal Court to an additional one year in prison and 74 more lashes. According to a knowledgeable source who spoke to CHRI, the sentence was delivered to him in prison.

“Repression in Iran’s smaller cities is often deeper, darker, and more violent—unchecked by oversight and hidden from view. In these places, the rule of law has collapsed entirely and officials are carrying out severe abuses with impunity. The international community must shine a light on these abuses and demand their end,” Aban said.