As the anniversary of the 2022 nationwide protests, known as the Mahsa Amini Protests, draws near, families of the victims are enduring heightened pressures from security and judicial entities. Over the past week, a minimum of nine family members who lost loved ones during the protests have either been detained by security forces or summoned for questioning.

The following details the cases of these nine individuals:

• On Wednesday, August 23, Nasrin Alizadeh, the sister of Shirin Alizadeh who was killed during the nationwide protests in Chalus, was arrested by security forces at her Isfahan residence and taken to an undisclosed location. Notably, this arrest coincides with Mohammad (Koroush) Vaziri, the husband of Shirin Alizadeh, marking his sixth day of detention at Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison.
• On Tuesday, August 22, Mahsa Yazdani, the mother of Mohammad Javad Zahedi, another victim of the fatal crackdown on the 2022 protests, was apprehended by security forces near her Sari residence and moved to an undisclosed location.
• That same day, 15-year-old Faramarz Abil was taken into custody by security forces in Torbat-e Heydariyeh, Razavi Khorasan Province. His brother, Esmaeil Abil, was among those who fell victim to the 2022 Zahedan massacre, commonly referred to as Bloody Friday.
• Mashallah Karami, the father of executed protestor Mohammad-Mehdi Karami, was arrested by security forces on Monday, August 21, at his residence. His current location and the charges against him remain undisclosed.
  On January 7, 2023, his son, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, along with Mohammad Hosseini, were executed. Both were implicated in the case related to the death of Basij militia member Ruhollah Ajamian.
• Shermin Habibi was apprehended on August 22 by security forces and was granted bail a day later. She is the spouse of Fereydoon Mahmoodi, who was among those killed by regime forces during the 2022 nationwide protests.
  Fereydoon Mahmoodi was fatally shot on September 19, 2022, during the protests. In a subsequent development in April 2023, the Saqqez & Baneh Military Court confirmed Special Forces’ involvement in Mahmoodi’s death. However, the case was closed due to the inability to identify the specific shooter.
• Continuing the trend of increased pressure, Hassan Daroftadeh and Mardin Daroftadeh, the father and brother of Kumar Daroftadeh, were summoned and interrogated by the Ministry of Intelligence in Piranshahr on Monday, August 21. The family was reportedly threatened to abstain from memorial ceremonies and online activities during the anniversary of the 2022 nationwide protests.
  On October 30, 2022, Kumar Daroftadeh, a 16-year-old teenager, was shot dead by security forces. His burial took place the following day in a village on the outskirts of Piranshahr.
• Additionally, Mahsa Basir Tavana, a mother of two, was arrested by security forces in Fuman on August 17, 2023. Her brother, Mehran Basir Tavana, was among those killed by regime forces during the 2022 nationwide protests.

Earlier, HRANA had also reported on the legal confrontations faced by families of the victims, including cases involving Hossein and Mehdi Kazemi, Somayeh Kazemi, Ali Adinezadeh, Goldasteh Hosseini Jahanabad, Marzieh Adinezadeh, Reza and Musa Adinezadeh, Sajad Pirfak, and Mahmonir Molaie-Rad, spanning over a one-month period.

Background on the 2022 Nationwide Protests

The arrest of Mahsa Amini by Tehran Morality Police for her improper hijab and her suspicious death on September 16 sparked protests sweeping across Iran. Protesters came to the streets with the central slogan “Women, Life, Freedom” in protest against the performance, laws and structure of the regime. During the nationwide protests, thousands of people, including journalists, artists, lawyers, teachers, students and civil rights activists, were arrested.