Iran arrests eleven lawyers, including three women
Hengaw – Saturday, January 31, 2026
At least eleven lawyers, including three women, have been arrested by Iranian government forces in Karaj, Tehran, Ivan (Ilam Province), Shiraz, and Mashhad, amid an ongoing crackdown linked to recent protests and the targeting of civil society figures.
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has verified the identities of those detained. The names and details of the arrested lawyers are as follows:
Lawyers arrested in Tehran:
Shima Qoushe, a women’s rights activist and member of the Tehran Bar Association, was arrested on Friday, January 16, 2026, when government forces raided her home in Tehran.
Nazanin Baradaran was arrested by government forces in the early days of the protests. The exact date of her arrest remains unknown.
Omid Darabi, a member of the Tehran Bar Association, was arrested on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
Lawyers arrested in Shiraz:
Mohammad Hadi Jafarpur was arrested at his office in Shiraz on Sunday, January 18, 2026, and transferred to Adel Abad Prison in the city.
Mehdi Ansari, a member of the Fars and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Bar Association, was violently arrested following a raid by government forces on his home in Shiraz on Thursday, January 28, 2026, and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Jafar Keshavarz, a member of the Fars Bar Association, was arrested in Shiraz and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Jafar Zarei, a member of the Fars Bar Association, was arrested in Shiraz and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Mehran Ansari, a lawyer from Shiraz, was arrested by government forces in front of the Shiraz courthouse and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Lawyer arrested in Mashhad:
Enayatollah Karami, a member of the Judiciary’s Legal Center, and a former detainee of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, was arrested following a raid by government forces on his home in Mashhad on Saturday, January 10, 2026, and transferred to Vakil Abad Prison in the city.
Lawyer arrested in Karaj:
Soheila Hejab, a Kurdish lawyer and former political prisoner from Kermanshah (Kermashan) residing in Karaj, was arrested on January 2, 2026, and transferred to Kachooei Prison in the city.
Lawyer arrested in Eyvan:
Dr. Hossein Shokri, a Kurdish senior lawyer, father of one, and from Eyvan in Ilam Province, was arrested in the city on Saturday, January 25, 2026.
These lawyers have been denied their most basic rights, including the right to contact their families and to receive visits. In some cases, they have only been allowed a single brief phone call.
No information is available about the reasons for their detention, their condition, or their fate.
