December Protests: At least 28 arrested across multiple cities
Hengaw — Saturday, January 3, 2026
Following the latest wave of arrests amid ongoing protests, at least 28 people, including two children, five women, and three university students, have been detained by Iranian state forces in multiple cities across the country. The arrests were reported in Zahedan, Sanandaj, Badre, Khorramabad, Sabzevar, Izeh, Mashhad, Kashmar, Esfarayen, Lordegan, Tehran, Karaj, Qazvin, and Yasuj.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Reza Abdi, 35, a father of two from Kashmar, and Milad Karimi, 30, a Kurdish man from Khorramabad, were arrested by government forces on Saturday, January 3, 2026.
After Friday prayers in Zahedan on January 2, security forces arrested ten Baloch men: Kian Salarnejad, 24, a mining and industry student; Jaber Barichi, 19; Farzad Kabdani, 27; Naser Kabdani, 28; Mohsen Kabdani, 32; Zubair Barahouei; Hanif Barahouei; Omar Gomshadzehi; Ehsan Naroei; and Abdolrahman Naroei.
Meanwhile, Soheila Hejab, a Kurdish lawyer and former political prisoner from Kermanshah currently residing in Karaj, was arrested by government forces and transferred to Kachuei Prison.
In Mashhad, Donia Sabouri, 20, and Yekta Darzadeh, 20, a shop worker, were arrested by government forces during protests on January 2, 2025.
A teenager identified as Faraz Ziaei, 17, from Sabzevar in Razavi Khorasan Province, was arrested by government forces on December 31, 2025. One day earlier, Zahra Mahdavi, 17, also from Sabzevar, was detained and transferred to Mashhad’s juvenile correctional center.
Additionally, Goodarz Saheshvari, 45, and Saeed Molaei, two Lor men from Izeh, were arrested on January 1 and December 30, 2025, respectively, and transferred to undisclosed locations.
Mohsen Heydarbaigi, a Kurdish man from Badre in Ilam Province, was also arrested on Friday, January 2.
Two other Kurdish men, Farzin Paykoobi and Sedigh Mahmoodi, 60, both from Sanandaj, were arrested on December 30, 2025. Paykoobi was transferred to the central prison and later released temporarily; however, his mobile phone was confiscated by authorities.
On Friday evening, January 2, Hamideh Hosseinpour from Lordegan and her husband Abbas (surname unknown), from Shahrekord, were arrested in Lordegan. No information has been made available regarding their condition or place of detention.
On the same day, Amirmohammad Rostami, 26, an architecture student, was arrested by government forces in the Nazi Abad neighborhood of Tehran. At the same time, another student, Yousef Rezaei, a petroleum engineering student from Yasuj, was arrested in the city and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Also on Friday, Amirhossein Khaleghi, a law student at Rajai University in Qazvin, was arrested at Chaharrah-e Khayam in the city. No information has been released regarding his whereabouts or condition.
