At least 15 protesters arrested in several cities as protests continue in Iran

Hengaw – Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have arrested at least 15 protesters on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, in connection with the ongoing December protests in several Iranian cities, including Dehloran, Yasuj, Nahavand, Asadabad, Shiraz, and Tehran.

According to information received by the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, those arrested include individuals from various ethnic/national backgrounds and regions. Among them are a Turkish resident of Asadabad, a Lor man from Nahavand, and four Lor residents from Yasuj identified as Saleh Arjmand, Qasem Arjmand, Hossein Arjmand, and Milad Masoumi. Three Kurdish men from Dehloran named Abolfazl Shadfar, Ehsan Maleki, and Ali Asghar Salehi were also detained. In Shiraz, several protesters, including Zaker Amini, Ruhollah Mohseni, and Mohammadkarim Fazeli, along with two teachers identified as Hejabri and Nirumand, were arrested as well in Tehran, authorities detained student activist Sarira Karimi, Secretary of the Student Council at the University of Tehran’s Faculty of Law and Political Science and a member of the university’s Central Student Council.

The five detainees arrested in Shiraz were released after several hours, while at least ten others remain in detention under unknown conditions. No information has been made available regarding the charges brought against them or their current locations.

This wave of protests began on Sunday, December 28, 2025, following strikes and mass protest marches by Tehran bazaar merchants in response to worsening economic conditions, inflation, and rising living costs, before spreading to at least 22 cities across the country.