Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown on civil society, increasing arrests of activists, workers, labor organizers, women, and minorities, particularly Kurds and Arabs. The wave of detentions appears to be part of a coordinated campaign to silence dissent in the aftermath of the recent 12-day Iran-Israel conflict.
Labor Activist Elham Salehi Arrested
Elham Salehi, a researcher on child labor and a social activist, disappeared on August 3, 2025. Fellow researcher and activist Leila Hosseinzadeh shared photos of Salehi’s ransacked home and stated that security forces forcibly detained her. The identity of the arresting agency remains unclear.
In December 2024, authorities sentenced Salehi to six months in prison and fined her 20 million tomans for “spreading lies,” “insulting the former president,” and “propaganda against the state.” As of now, Salehi has made no contact to confirm her arrest. Her family contacted the Ministry of Intelligence but received no response, raising fears that she remains held incommunicado.
Authorities Target Ethnic Minority Activists
Repression has escalated in Kurdistan and other Kurdish-majority provinces. On August 1, local intelligence officers arrested Hossein Mohammadi, a former political prisoner from Bukan, after summoning him for questioning. Mohammadi previously served a 30-month sentence for alleged ties to the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran.
On August 4, officials summoned Sajjad Haeri, a Kurdish writer and Kurdish language teacher from Ilam, to the Damavand Islamic Revolutionary Court and charged him with “disturbing public opinion by spreading lies.” This marks his second summons. Security agents arrested Haeri on July 12 and interrogated him for ten days about his Kurdish language advocacy and support for the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign. Haeri’s brother, Ahmad Reza Haeri, a political prisoner and human rights defender, has promoted the campaign from inside prison, while Sajjad has supported it publicly from outside. Authorities released Sajjad after his July arrest on a one billion toman bail, only to resummon him with new charges.
In another case, security forces arrested Mohammad Parvazeh, a Kurdish father of three from the village of Ney in Marivan, at the end of July without a warrant. Two weeks later, his family still knows nothing about his location, any charges against him, or his prison status. He remains incommunicado, without access to legal counsel or family.
Teachers and Former Political Prisoners Targeted
On August 2, authorities arrested Soheila Khaldian, a 58-year-old teacher and civil society activist, at her home in Sanandaj. She had previously been detained during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement.
The same week, security forces detained several others across Iran. On July 29, they arrested Forough Khosravi, a teacher from Behbahan in Khuzestan Province, and Rahman Aslani, 63, from Bukan, seizing both his and his wife’s phones. On July 28, they arrested Roozgar Nouri, a Kurdish resident of Marivan, again without presenting a warrant.
Authorities also extended the detention of Fardin Moloudi, a former political prisoner from Sanandaj, who was re-arrested over a month ago during the wave of arrests following the Iran-Israel conflict. Moloudi, previously imprisoned multiple times, now remains in Sanandaj Central Prison.
Over 330 Kurds Detained Since Iran-Israel Conflict
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reports that since early July, coinciding with the Iran-Israel war, security forces have arrested over 330 Kurdish citizens across Ilam, West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Tehran, and North Khorasan.
Authorities have also summoned and interrogated dozens of Kurdish activists, former political prisoners, and family members of dissidents living abroad for prolonged sessions at the Ministry of Intelligence and IRGC offices.
Human rights organizations warn that these arrests reflect a systematic campaign to intimidate and silence activists, especially from ethnic and marginalized communities. Authorities have carried out many arrests without legal transparency, often holding detainees incommunicado and denying them legal representation or formal charges.
Afghan-Iranian Activist Ehsan Hosseini Abducted by State Forces
Ehsan Hosseini, an Afghan-Iranian citizen residing in Qom and a longtime social activist, disappeared from his home on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. State agents seized his electronic devices during the raid. Since then, no one knows where he is or whether authorities filed charges. He made one brief call to family before all contact stopped, prompting serious concern for his safety. Hosseini has worked with civil and academic groups in Iran on migrant rights.
These detentions follow Iran’s recent mass deportation campaign targeting Afghan nationals. In the past two months alone, Iranian authorities expelled over 1.1 million Afghan migrants, including many with valid documentation, driven by national security rhetoric and post–Israel war pressure.
