Trial held for three detainees of recent protests in Tehran
Hengaw – Saturday, February 21, 2026
The Tehran Revolutionary Court has held a hearing on the charges against three detainees of the recent protests, Ashkan Maleki, Mehrdad Mohammadinia, and Arman Marefati. The case concerns allegations that they set fire to and damaged Jafari Mosque and the Imam Hadi seminary in Kooy-e Nasr, also known as Gisha, in Tehran during protests on the evening of January 9, 2026.
Hengaw has learned that the defendants faced serious security-related charges during the session. Mizan, the judiciary’s media outlet, reported that the hearing took place.
According to the prosecutor’s representative, Ashkan Maleki and Mehrdad Mohammadinia, two Kurdish men from Qorveh, are accused of carrying out “operational actions for the Israeli state and hostile states and groups against national security,” which the prosecution claims had the capacity to result in killings, destruction of public and private property, and the spread of fear.
Arman Marefati was initially accused of “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against internal security” through participation in protests. The presiding judge later cited Article 280 of Iran’s Criminal Procedure Code and accused him of participating in operational actions against national security, entering religious premises with intent to cause damage, participating in setting fire to the mosque and seminary, and causing damage estimated at around 50 billion tomans.
The prosecutor’s representative also alleged that the defendants damaged parts of the mosque, set fire to motorcycles inside the mosque, destroyed traffic signs, blocked streets, and engaged in coordinated actions against internal security during the January 2026 protests.
During the hearing, the court reviewed images and video footage from the night of the incident. Representatives of the board of trustees of Jafari Mosque and officials from the Imam Hadi seminary appeared in court as witnesses and presented statements supporting the allegations.
Judiciary-affiliated media also released a video showing the defendants speaking about their presence at the protests and responding to the accusations. The publication of this footage has raised questions about the circumstances under which the statements were obtained.
