Update on Arrests at Khosrow Alikordi’s Seventh-Day Memorial in Mashhad

HRANA – On Friday, December 12, 2025, during the seventh-day memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer, held in Mashhad, a number of citizens were arrested. The identities of at least 22 additional detainees have been confirmed. Some of these individuals were transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, while others were taken to Soroush Detention Center in Mashhad. A number of them have also been released on bail.

In addition to Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Gholian, Pouran Nazemi, Hasti Amiri, Abolfazl Abri, Alieh Motalebzadeh, Nora Haghi (Vahideh Haghparast), Ali Adinehzadeh, Hassan Bagherinia, Javad Alikordi, and Hamed Hosseini, the identities of at least 22 other citizens and civil activists have been established, these individuals were arrested on Friday, December 12, 2025:

Tayebeh Nazari, Heydar Chah Chamandi, Mohammad Hassan Sadeghian, Yaser Dehestani, Amin Vosoughi-Nia, Milad Fattah, Mohammadreza Babaei, Davoud Alikordi, Ahmad Alikordi, Iraj Alikordi, Kamran Alikordi, Mojtaba Alikordi, Behrouz Alikordi, Javad Jalali, Mahmoud Khanali, Hamed Rasoulkhani, Mehdi Rasoulkhani, Amir Khavari, Pouria Najarzadeh, Mohammad Hossein Hosseini, Hamed Zareh, and Mohammad Hossein Boroumand Sharifi.

According to informed sources who spoke with HRANA, some of those arrested were transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, while others were taken to Soroush Detention Center, which operates under the supervision of the Public Security Police (FARAJA). Among the detainees, Mohammad Hossein Hosseini, Behrouz Alikordi, Iraj Alikordi, and Mojtaba Alikordi were released after posting bail. Additionally, the mobile phones of some individuals were confiscated by security agents.

Based on information received by HRANA, the judicial cases of some of these individuals have been referred to Branch 902 and Branch 901 of the Investigative Unit of the Mashhad Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office. They are facing charges including “propaganda against the state,” “disturbing public opinion,” and “assembly and collusion with the intent to disrupt national security.”

According to reports published by the families of some of the detainees, including Narges Mohammadi and Sepideh Gholian, several of those arrested have so far had no telephone contact with their families and have been denied access to legal counsel, a situation that has heightened concerns among their families and relatives.

On Friday, December 12, 2025, the seventh-day memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi was held at Ghadir Mosque in Mashhad with a large public turnout. The ceremony was accompanied by the chanting of protest slogans by participants. Eventually, following the intervention of law enforcement forces, the gathering turned violent. During these events, dozens of participants—including Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Gholian, Pouran Nazemi, Hasti Amiri, Abolfazl Abri, Alieh Matalebzadeh, Nora Haghi (Vahideh Hagparast), Ali Adinehzadeh, Hassan Bagherinia, Javad Alikordi, and Hamed Hosseini—were arrested by security forces.

On Saturday, the Mashhad Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor announced the arrest of 39 individuals during the memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi in the city. According to him, these individuals were detained due to what he described as “norm-breaking actions and behavior.” He also claimed that two law enforcement officers were injured during the ceremony.

Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer and human rights defender from Sabzevar and a resident of Mashhad, passed away on the evening of Friday, December 5, 2025. His funeral was held on Sunday, December 7, 2025, in Sabzevar and was accompanied by protest chants such as “Woman, Life, Freedom” and “Long Live Iran.” Following this, a large number of lawyers across the country issued a statement, a copy of which was obtained by HRANA, expressing condolences to Alikordi’s family and emphasizing the need for a precise, technical, and expert review of the circumstances surrounding his death, while calling for all relevant documentation and information to be made available to his family as soon as possible.

Regarding Soroush Detention Center, it should be noted that this facility, located in eastern Mashhad, operates under the management of the Public Security Police of FARAJA. Since the nationwide protests of 2017 and 2019, and especially after 2022, it has become one of the main centers for interrogating and holding political and security detainees. Initially used to detain suspects accused of ordinary crimes such as drug trafficking, arms trading, and alcohol-related offenses, the center has in recent years evolved into a dual-purpose facility due to the detention of protesters and political dissidents.

Several Attendees Arrested During Seventh-Day Memorial for Khosrow Alikordi

HRANA – Today, the seventh-day memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi was held at Ghadir Mosque in Mashhad amid a heavy presence of law enforcement forces, during which several citizens were arrested. So far, the identities of Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Gholian, Pouran Nazemi, Nora Haghi, Ali Adinehzadeh, and Hassan Bagherinia have been confirmed among those detained. The identities of other detainees are still under review.

The ceremony was held today, Friday, at Ghadir Mosque in Mashhad with the presence of a large number of law enforcement forces. Based on information received by HRANA, several attendees, including Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Gholian (Qolian), Pouran Nazemi, Nora Haghi, Ali Adinehzadeh, and Hassan Bagherinia, were arrested. The identities of other possible detainees remain under investigation.

A knowledgeable source told HRANA: “The arrests of Ms. Mohammadi and Ms. Gholian were carried out violently. Officers also attempted to arrest Javad Alikordi, the brother of Khosrow Alikordi, but people attending the ceremony prevented his arrest. Streets surrounding Ghadir Mosque were blocked, and officers prevented individuals from entering the area.”

Participants chanted slogans such as “Long live Iran,” “We fight, we die, we will not accept humiliation,” and “Death to the dictator.” With the presence of security and law enforcement forces, the ceremony turned violent.

Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer and human rights defender from Sabzevar and a resident of Mashhad, passed away on Friday evening, December 5, 2025. His funeral was held on Sunday, December 7, in Sabzevar and was accompanied by protest chants including “Woman, Life, Freedom” and “Long live Iran.” Following the funeral, a large number of lawyers across the country issued a statement, a copy of which was received by HRANA, expressing condolences and solidarity with Khosrow Alikordi’s family, emphasizing the need for a thorough, technical, and expert review of the circumstances surrounding his death, and calling for all related documents and information to be made available to his family as soon as possible.

A Comprehensive Report of the First 82 days of Nationwide Protests in Iran

  HRANA – Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old young woman, was arrested by the morality police for the crime of improper hijab. Her arrest and death in detention fueled nationwide protests in Iran. Protesters came to the streets with the central slogan “Women, Life, Freedom” in protest against the performance, laws, and structure of the regime. The following 486-page report is dedicated to the statistical review, analysis, and summary of the first eighty-two days of the ongoing protests (September 17 to December 7, 2022). In this report, in addition to the geographic analysis and the presentation of maps and charts, the identity of 481 deceased, including 68 children and teenagers, an estimated of 18,242 arrested along with the identity of 3,670 arrested citizens, 605 students and 61 journalists or activists in the field of information is compiled. In addition, the report includes a complete collection of 1988 verified video reports by date and topic. The report examines protests across 1115 documented gatherings in all 31 provinces of the country, including 160 cities and 143 universities.

Summary

Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a young 22-year-old woman from Saqqez, Kurdistan was visiting Tehran, when she was taken into custody on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, by the Morality Police officers at the Haqqani metro station in Tehran. The reason for her arrest: not properly observing the strict Islamic dress code. Mahsa/Zhina was taken to the infamous detention center of Moral Security Police known as Vozara.
Shortly after Mahsa’s arrest, she went into a coma with level three concussion, and her partially alive body was transferred to the intensive care unit of Kasra Hospital. Given the track record of the police and Guidance Patrols in mistreating the arrestees and similar previous incidents, with the believe that Mahsa was beaten during the arrest people were outraged.

Download full report in PDF format

Unpersuasive explanations given by the Central Command of the Islamic Republic Police Force (FARAJA) in defense of its actions regarding the death of Mahsa, the past performance of the police force, along with widespread dissatisfaction with the existence of a body called the Moral Security Police, fueled widespread protests in Iran.
The widespread protests sparked at the time Mahsa Amini was announced dead in front of Kasra Hospital on Argentina Street in Tehran, and then quickly spread to the streets despite the intimidating presence of Iran’s security forces. The protests intensified after Mahsa’s burial in a Saqqez cemetery. To the extent that after eighty-two days of nationwide protests between September 17, 2022, to December 7, 2022, they have spread to Iran’s all 31 provinces, 160 cities, and 143 major universities.
The protests did not stay limited to Mahsa’s death, it rather, quickly targeted the Iranian government’s political and ideological foundations. These protests were violently quashed by the anti-riot police and Iran’s militia force (Basij). teargas, pellets, and live ammunition were used in the repression of protestors. This widespread crackdown has led to the death of dozens of people and the wounding of hundreds of protestors.
Despite sever communication restrictions imposed by the Islamic Republic, this report attempts to give a clearer picture of the first 82 days of the protests between September 17, to December 7, 2022. It’s worth mentioning at the time of this report the protests are still ongoing in various forms.

Table of Contents

 

 

For further inquiries please contact Skylar Thompson, Senior Advocacy Coordinator Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) at [email protected]

At Least Four Civil Activists Detained for Several Hours Following a Protest Rally in Tehran

On Wednesday, September 8, a number of civil activists were arrested in a protest rally related to the recent changes in Afghanistan and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Narges Mohammadi, Ahmad Reza Haeri, Pouran Nazemi, Vida Rabbani were among the arrested activists.

The rally was marred by violence by security and police forces. The mobile phones of several protesters were confiscated and only returned on condition of deleting the taken videos and photos. Some Afghans are said to be among the detainees.

Protesters carried placards and chanted slogans in support of Panjshir resistance and Afghan women, and against the Taliban and the Islamic Emirate.

The arrested activists were released after a couple of hours, on the evening of the same day.

Recently, Branch 2 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit against Ms. Nazemi and Ms. Mohammadi, and seven other activists. These activists were also arrested and detained for a couple hours on July 20 during a rally in support of the people of Khuzestan in Tehran.

 

Lawsuit Filed Against 9 Civil Activists Including Narges Mohammadi After Protests in Tehran

New cases have been opened against civil activists Arash Sadeghi, Arash Keykhosravi, Ruhollah Mardani, Narges Mohammadi, Jafar Azimzadeh, Rasoul Bodaghi, Pouran Nazemi, Hamid Asefi, and Behzad Homayouni in Branch 2 of Evin Court.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the lawsuits have been filed in the aftermath of the activists’ demonstration of solidarity with the people of Khuzestan in Tehran.

On July 20, these civil activists were beaten and arrested during a rally in support of the people of Khuzestan in Tehran and were released hours later.

The activists were informed of the opening of a new case against them via text message. The text message states that the reason for filing a case is “participation in an illegal gathering in front of the Ministry of Interior”.

Public rallies began on the night of Thursday, July 15, in Khuzestan province to protest the frequent water cut and mismanagement of officials in the Khuzestan Province. The protests have spread to at least 41 cities in two weeks. HRANA has previously reported on these protests.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Now is definitely not the time to stop reading!

Civil Activists Released Hours After Arrest in Tehran During March Supporting Khuzestan

On Tuesday, July 20, civil activists Narges Mohammadi, Arash Sadeghi, Arash Kaykhosravi, Ruhollah Mardani, Jafar Azimzadeh, Rasoul Bodaghi, Pouran Nazemi, Hamid Asefi, and Behzad Homayouni, were released from custody a couple of hours after their arrest.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the activists were beaten and arrested while marching in support of the people of Khuzestan.

Before their arrest, they had said in a video that a number of them had been beaten in front of the Interior Ministry by military forces.

During the last six days, people in Khuzestan province have been protesting frequent water cuts, and lack of water resources management in the cities of Ramhormoz, Shavur, Karkheh, Chamran, Kut Seyed Naeem, Shush, Ahvaz, Abadan, Hamidiyeh, Bostan, Susangard, Mahshahr, Khorramshahr, Shadegan, Kut Abdollah, Mollasani, Hoveyzeh, Abu Homeyzeh, and Veys.