Category: Freedom of Expression

Mojtaba Moghiseh Arrested in Sabzevar

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Freedom of Expression, News
Mojtaba Moghiseh, Sabzevar, مجتبی مقیسه

HRANA – On Wednesday, August 20, Mojtaba Moghiseh, a resident of Sabzevar, was arrested by security forces in the city and transferred to an undisclosed location.

A source close to the family confirmed the news to HRANA, stating: “Mr. Moghiseh was arrested on Wednesday, August 20, by security forces in Sabzevar. Since his detention, he has not contacted his family, and his whereabouts remain unknown.” At the time of this report, no information is available regarding the reasons for his arrest.

In late 2024, Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Sabzevar sentenced him to seven months and 15 days in prison and one year of exile. In late-April 2025, Moghiseh’s conviction was upheld in full by the Court of Appeals of Razavi Khorasan Province.

Another part of his case, on the charge of insulting sacred beliefs, is still under review at Branch 103 of the Criminal Court of Sabzevar.

Mojtaba Moghiseh is one of those arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests in Sabzevar and has previously faced arrest and conviction over his activities.

Nariman Randani Arrested by Security Forces

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Freedom of Expression, News
Nariman Randani, Nariman Rendani, Saqqez

HRANA – On August 19, 2025, Nariman Randani, a civil rights activist and resident of Saqqez, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.

His brother, Milad Randani, confirmed the news, writing: “My brother Nariman was arrested for the third time in recent months. Yesterday at 6 a.m., intelligence forces came to our house again and arrested him. I have no information about Nariman’s whereabouts.”

On May 11, 2025, Nariman Randani was released on bail. He had previously been arrested on April 9, 2025, for unknown reasons.

Randani had also been arrested earlier, on February 25, 2025, in connection with a general strike in Kurdish cities, and was later released.

Writers Nina Golestani and Rozita Rajai Sentenced to Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, IRGC Intelligence, Lakan prison, Nina Golestani and Rozita Rajaie, Rasht, Rozita Rajai, رزیتا رجایی, نینا گلستانی

HRANA – Nina Golestani and Rozita Rajai, two fiction writers from Rasht, have each been sentenced to one year in prison by Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of the city.

According to Hyrcani, the two writers were previously tried by Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht on charges of “propaganda against the regime on social media.” The court has now sentenced each of them to one year in prison.

Another joint case against the two remains under judicial review. Charges in that case include “spreading falsehoods, appearing in public without hijab, publishing images and content deemed contrary to public morality, and disclosing preliminary investigations of the prosecutor’s office.”

Rozita Rajai was released on bail from Lakan Prison in Rasht on August 3, 2025, after being arrested on July 19 following a prosecutor’s office interrogation.

Nina Golestani was released on bail from Lakan Prison on March 16, 2025. She had been arrested on March 11, 2025, in Rasht by IRGC intelligence agents and transferred to the same facility.

Both writers have previously faced judicial convictions in relation to their activities.

Mehdi Jahangiri Arrested in Tehran

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, Mehdi Jahangiri, University of Tehran, مهدی جهانگیری

HRANA– Mehdi Jahangiri, a resident of Tehran, was arrested today by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence at his workplace and transferred to an undisclosed location.

A source close to the family confirmed the arrest to HRANA, stating: “This morning, Wednesday, August 20, 2025, Mehdi Jahangiri was arrested at his workplace. Ministry of Intelligence agents carried out the arrest without presenting a judicial warrant.”

According to information received by HRANA, the arrest was linked to his social media posts and protests over repeated power outages.

As of the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding his whereabouts or the charges against him.

Mehdi Jahangiri, a University of Tehran graduate and worker at the Golgoun Industrial Town, had previously been arrested by the security police on December 16 of last year during a workers’ protest at the same industrial complex. He was later released on bail.

Kianoosh Cheraghi Sentenced to Prison and Flogging

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Freedom of Expression, News
Darreh Shahr, Dehloran, Ilam prison, Kianoosh Cheraghi, کیانوش چراغی

HRANA – Kianoosh Cheraghi, a resident of Dehloran, has been sentenced by Branch 101 of the Criminal Court Two in this city to 13 months and 16 days in prison and 40 lashes.

This verdict was recently issued by Branch 101 of the Dehloran Criminal Court Two. He was sentenced to 13 months and 16 days in prison, taking into account time previously spent in detention, on the charge of “spreading falsehoods online,” and to 40 lashes for the charge of “insulting officers on duty.”

The ruling stated that publishing critical videos of government officials on Cheraghi’s personal page was considered as evidence of “spreading falsehoods.”

Cheraghi was arrested on Tuesday, June 25, by security forces in Dehloran and transferred to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Ilam.

Earlier, in late May this year, he had been released from Darreh Shahr Prison following the suspension of a previous prison sentence in another case. On March 24, 2025, however, he was arrested again to serve his prison term and transferred to Ilam Prison.

Kianoosh Cheraghi, 45, a resident of Dehloran and a former employee of the city’s Social Security Organization, has been sentenced in two separate cases to a combined three years in prison and supplementary punishments.

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Hasti Amiri Sentenced to Prison, Fine, and Additional Punishments

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Freedom of Expression, News
Evin Prison, Hasti Amiri, Iman Afshari, هستی امیری

HRANA – Hasti Amiri, a student at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran, has been sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to three years in prison, fines, and supplementary punishments.

This verdict was issued in absentia by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court and was notified to Amiri yesterday. Based on the ruling, she was sentenced to one year in prison for “propaganda against the regime,” and fined 3.3 million tomans for “appearing in public without mandatory hijab.” She was also sentenced to two years in prison and fined 50 million tomans for “spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.”

Judge Iman Afshari also imposed supplementary punishments, banning Amiri for two years from leaving the country and from membership in political and social groups.

On Saturday, April 26, 2025, Amiri was arrested after appearing at the Evin Courthouse and transferred to Evin Prison. She was released the following day after posting bail.

Hasti Amiri has previously been arrested and served prison time due to her activism.

Amir Seyedi Arrested by Security Forces in Mahabad

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Freedom of Expression, News
Amir Seyedi, HRANA, Mahabad

HRANA – On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, Amir Seyedi, a resident of Mahabad, was arrested by security forces in the city and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to Kolbar News, Seyedi was detained at his workplace without a judicial warrant. As of the time of this report, no information is available regarding the reasons for his arrest, his place of detention, or the charges against him.

In August 2023, Seyedi was previously arrested in Mahabad and released after about six months on bail. Following his release, he was sentenced by the judiciary to three years in prison.

Abolfazl Khoran Sentenced to One Year in Prison and 74 Lashes

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Abolfazl Khoran, Arak prison, Keramat Parsafar, Mehrshad Shahidi, ابوالفضل خوران

HRANA – Abolfazl Khoran, a teachers’ union activist currently held in Arak Prison, has been sentenced by Branch 105 of the Criminal Court Two of Arak County to one year in prison and 74 lashes in connection with a new case opened against him during his incarceration.

According to HRANA, the verdict was issued on the charge of “disturbing the order and public peace of the prison.” Presiding Judge Keramat Parsafar cited slogans written inside the prison in protest against death penalty verdicts as the basis for the conviction.

The ruling may be appealed within 20 days of its notification.

Khoran was first arrested in August 2023, along with several other citizens, after attending a ceremony at the grave of Mehrshad Shahidi, one of the victims of the 2022 nationwide protests in Arak. All were later released on bail of 7 billion rials each.

In September 2023, the same court sentenced him to six years in prison and 74 lashes to be carried out in public, on charges of “insulting sacred beliefs” and “disturbing the order and public peace.” He began serving this sentence on January 21, 2025, when he was transferred to Arak Prison, where he remains in custody.

Mohsen Alizadeh Arrested in Gachsaran

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Freedom of Expression, News
Gachsaran, irgc, IRGC Intelligence, Mohsen Alizadeh, Mohsen Alizadeh Benari, محسن عالی زاده

HRANA – Yesterday, Mohsen Alizadeh Benari, a resident of Gachsaran, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, was arrested at his home by agents of the IRGC Intelligence Organization and taken to an undisclosed location.

A source close to his family confirmed the news to HRANA, stating: “On Tuesday, August 12, Mr. Alizadeh was arrested at his residence in Gachsaran by IRGC Intelligence agents. The agents searched the premises and confiscated his digital devices, including his laptop and mobile phone.”

As of now, there is no information on his whereabouts, the reasons for his arrest, or the charges against him.

Mohsen Alizadeh Benari has previously been arrested and served prison time for his activities. He was detained during the nationwide protests of November 2019 and spent a period in prison.

Kerman Province: 104 Citizens Arrested in Connection with 12-Day Israel–Iran War

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, Israel–Iran War, Kerman

HRANA – The police chief of Kerman Province announced the arrest of 104 individuals in the province during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. According to him, the arrests were made on charges such as “creating insecurity during the war.”

According to Tasnim News Agency, the police chief of Kerman Province stated: “During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, 28 checkpoints were established across the province.”

Jalil Moghufeh’i added, “In this regard, 104 individuals suspected of being involved in causing insecurity during the war in Kerman Province were arrested and handed over to the relevant judicial authorities.”

The report did not provide further details regarding the identity, location of detention, or current status of those arrested.

Arbitrary arrests, transferring detainees to undisclosed locations, and leaving families in the dark about the fate of their loved ones are routine practices of the Iranian regime’s security agencies, such as the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Unit. This pattern of behavior stands in clear violation of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.