HRANA – Najmeh Amini, arrested during the January 2026 protests, remains incarcerated in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. The 23-year-old student has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison and death in two separate cases heard by the Revolutionary Court and the Criminal Court in Mashhad.
According to HRANA, Najmeh Amini is currently being held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.
A source close to Amini’s family confirmed this information and told HRANA about the judicial proceedings in her cases: “Following her arrest, she faced two separate legal cases, one heard by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court and the other by Criminal Court One. In the case heard by Criminal Court One, she was sentenced to death on charges of ‘insulting the Prophet.’ Initially, the charge against Ms. Amini in this case was described as ‘insulting the Imams,’ but the charge was subsequently changed during the judicial proceedings.”
The source added: “In a separate case, Branch One of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court sentenced Ms. Amini to a total of 12 years, six months, and one day in prison on charges including ‘acting against national security’ and ‘propaganda against the regime.'”
Recently, in an audio message from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, Ms. Amini announced that the judiciary had issued her death sentence on September 16, 2026. In the message, she called on the United Nations, lawyers, human rights activists, and human rights organizations to review her case and demanded her right to a fair trial.
A court hearing concerning Ms. Amini’s charges was held in August of this year at the Mashhad Revolutionary Court. She was tried on charges of “assembly and collusion” and “insulting religious sanctities and the Imams.”
On January 31, 2026, Najmeh Amini was arrested by security forces at Ferdowsi Shopping Center in Mashhad during the January protests. She was subsequently transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.
Najmeh Amini, 23, is an accounting student and a resident of Mashhad.
Background on the January 2026 Protests
It should be noted that protests and strikes by shopkeepers and bazaar merchants began in Tehran on Sunday, December 28, 2025, and within two days spread beyond markets and commercial centers. With the participation of students, citizens, and various social groups, these protests became one of the largest protest movements of recent years. Following the crackdown by security and law enforcement forces, thousands were killed or injured, and tens of thousands were arrested or summoned by security agencies. For more information, readers may refer to HRANA’s comprehensive report titled “Crimson Winter,” documenting the first fifty days following the outbreak of Iran’s nationwide protests.
