Iranian activist Motahareh Goonei re-arrested over tweet on Israeli airstrikes  

Hengaw - Saturday, June 14, 2025
 
Motahareh Goonei, a former political prisoner and student activist, has been arrested by Iranian security forces and taken to an undisclosed location after posting a critical tweet in response to Israeli airstrikes on military targets in Iran.
 
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Goonei was detained on Saturday, June 14, 2025.
 
Sources told Hengaw that the arrest was triggered by a tweet in which she criticized the government’s response to the airstrikes and called for public protection measures. In the post, she wrote: "Since last night, I’ve received multiple calls from unknown numbers, but I didn’t answer. Instead of threatening people, draft a protocol to protect the public during wartime. You can’t even secure your own commanders!"
 
Goonei had been released from Evin Prison on March 16, 2025, after serving a one-year sentence for “propaganda against the state.” That sentence stemmed from her participation in a sit-in protesting the death sentence of rapper Toomaj Salehi and a series of posts on social media.
 
She was initially arrested on October 8, 2024, after being summoned to Branch 9 of the Prosecutor’s Office for Culture and Media in Tehran. At the time, authorities accused her of acting “against the state,” and she was transferred to Evin Prison.
 
Just before her arrest, Deputy Health Minister for Cultural and Student Affairs Masoud Habibi publicly announced that Goonei would not be allowed to return to university or continue her studies.
 
Prominent human rights lawyer Mostafa Nili commented on her previous case:
"Ms. Motahareh Goonei was arrested to serve a one-year sentence for propaganda against the state, based on her participation in peaceful protest and several tweets."
 
Goonei, a former political secretary of the Islamic Association of Students at the University of Tehran, was also arrested by IRGC Intelligence on May 1, 2024, and taken to Evin Prison following another summons.
 
Earlier, both Goonei and her former husband, Mehdi Hadizadeh—students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences—were suspended from their studies and forcibly transferred to Ardabil University of Medical Sciences by order of the Ministry of Health.
 
Goonei was also briefly detained during the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) protests in Tehran.