Afghan student Sara Gowhari arrested by Intelligence Ministry Forces at Taybad border

Hengaw – Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Sara Gowhari, a 29-year-old Afghan national and sociology student at the University of Tehran, has been arrested by agents of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence at the Taybad border and transferred to an undisclosed location.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Gowhari was detained on Sunday, July 6, 2025, while conducting research at the Taybad border area.

Prior to her arrest, she had announced on her Instagram page that she planned to visit the border region to carry out an independent study on Afghan migrants.

According to informed sources, her arrest was carried out without the presentation of any judicial warrant.

Despite ten days having passed since her detention, Gowhari has been denied access to basic rights, including communication with her family and access to legal counsel. Her family’s repeated inquiries regarding her health and whereabouts have gone unanswered.

No information has been made available about the reasons for her arrest, the charges against her, her place of detention, or her current condition.