14 Yamani followers arrested in Mashhad without charges

Hengaw - Monday, June 9, 2025

Fourteen followers of the Yamani religious movement have been detained in Mashhad for over a week without formal charges or access to legal proceedings.

According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a total of nineteen Yamani adherents were arrested in the northeastern city and are currently being held at Vakilabad Prison. The identities of fourteen of the detainees have been confirmed as: Amir Zorami, Amin Akbari, Seyed Ali Hosseini, Sajjad Rezvan, Mohammad Hossein Nazarnazhad, Mostafa Tavana, Mohammad Kazem Fathi, Reza Ghiyasi, Amir Zohan, Seyed Yahya Tarahomi, Hamed Nejadnik, Emad Eftekhari, Alireza Salim Kaviani, and Ghasem Hatami.

The Yamani movement is a religious group with eschatological beliefs that differ from official Shi’a doctrine and has previously been subject to state repression.

Iranian state-affiliated media reported the arrests on June 2 but did not disclose the names of those detained or the reasons behind their detention. Authorities have yet to announce any charges or provide legal clarification regarding the status of the nineteen detainees.