Rozita Rajayi, Gilak writer from Rasht, arrested following court summons

Hengaw – Monday, July 21, 2025

Rozita Rajayi, a Gilak writer and resident of Rasht in Iran’s Gilan Province, was arrested after appearing at Branch 4 of the Rasht Prosecutor’s Office.

According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, she was detained on Saturday, July 19, 2025, and transferred to Lakan Prison, the central detention facility in Rasht.

She is facing multiple charges brought by Branch 4 of the Prosecutor’s Office, including “spreading false information,” “propaganda against the state,” “appearing in public without a hijab,” and “disclosing details of preliminary investigations.”

Sources familiar with the case stated that after formally presenting the charges, the investigating prosecutor set bail at 500 million tomans. However, despite her family’s efforts to post bail the same day, the prosecutor refused to accept it, declaring that she would remain in custody until a trial court is assigned.

This is not the first time Rajayi has been targeted by the authorities. In November 2023, she was arrested and later sentenced by Branch 3 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court to four years and one month in prison—a sentence that has not yet been enforced.