Mother and daughter arrested in Gorgan during memorial for protest victim

Hengaw – Sunday, February 22, 2026

Nirvana Torbatinezhad and her mother, Roqiyeh (Sayeh) Amirkhani, two residents of Gorgan in Golestan province, were arrested during a memorial ceremony marking the 40th day since the death of Hossein Soleimani, a victim of the recent protests in Gorgan.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, agents from the intelligence office in Golestan province arrested the two women on Sunday, February 22, 2026, and transferred them to an undisclosed location.

The arrests took place during the 40th-day memorial ceremony for Hossein Soleimani.

Nirvana Torbatinezhad had previously been sentenced in December by the revolutionary court to six months of discretionary imprisonment on charges of “propaganda against the state.” She had earlier been summoned by the intelligence organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on November 1, 2025, and interrogated for several hours.

Authorities have not disclosed the reasons for the arrest or any charges against them. Their current whereabouts, legal status, and any charges against them remain unknown.