Iran arrests 16 people, including Narges Mohammadi, at memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikurdi
Hengaw — Friday, December 12, 2025
Iranian government forces arrested at least 16 people, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, during the seventh-day memorial ceremony for the late lawyer and former political prisoner Khosrow Alikurdi in Mashhad.
According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the arrests took place on Friday, December 12, 2025, when Iranian government forces raided the memorial ceremony for Alikurdi, a Kurdish lawyer from Sabzevar. At least 16 attendees were detained, including two members of Alikurdi’s family, two members of families seeking justice, and several former political prisoners.
Those arrested include Narges Mohammadi, a former political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Alieh Motalebzadeh, Hasti Amiri, Pouran Nazemi, Sepideh Gholian, Asadollah Fakhimi, Akbar Amini, Ali Adinehzadeh, Reza Adinehzadeh, Hassan Bagheri-Nia, Abolfazl Abri, Habib Fadaei, Kamal Jafarizadi, and Nora Haghi. Davoud Alikurdi and Ahmad Alikurdi, members of Khosrow Alikurdi’s family, were also arrested.
Ali Adinehzadeh and Reza Adinehzadeh are members of families seeking justice associated with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement.
Javad Alikurdi, the brother of Khosrow Alikurdi, confirmed the arrests of Narges Mohammadi and Sepideh Gholian and stated that Iranian government forces beat them during the arrest.
Khosrow Alikurdi had faced years of fabricated cases and sustained security and judicial pressure. He died under suspicious circumstances on the evening of Friday, December 5, 2025, at his workplace.
While authorities stated that he died of a heart attack, evidence and statements from relatives and lawyers, including reports of unusual bleeding and the possibility of physical injury, have raised serious doubts about the official account of his death.
Khosrow Alikurdi was laid to rest on Sunday, December 7, 2025, in his hometown of Abdolabad, Sabzevar. During the burial ceremony, his brother emphasized Alikurdi’s ethical and human commitment, noting that he had defended marginalized individuals, taken on complex legal cases, and endured sustained security pressure for years.
