Three relatives of slain protesters arrested in Tonekabon and Ramsar

Hengaw – Monday, February 23, 2026

Iranian government forces have intensified pressure on families of those killed during the December protests. In recent days, two relatives of Surena Golgoon in Tonekabon (Shahsavar) and the sister of Mehdi Saheli in Ramsar were arrested and transferred to undisclosed locations.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Samira Kordi and Azin Kordi — both nurses and maternal aunts of Surena Golgoon — were arrested on Sunday, February 22, 2026, during coordinated raids on their home and workplace. Authorities presented a prosecutor’s warrant at the time of arrest.

Informed sources state that armed plainclothes agents wearing face masks detained Samira Kordi at her residence and Azin Kordi at the hospital where she was employed. During the arrests, government forces used violence, assaulted the two women, damaged property, and threatened other family members with firearms.

In a separate incident, Azar Saheli, sister of Mehdi Saheli, was arrested on Saturday, February 21, 2026, during a raid on her home in Ramsar. Her detention followed a speech she delivered at a memorial ceremony marking the 40th day since her brother’s death.

Surena Golgoon, 18, a university student and the only child of his family, was shot and killed by security forces on January 9, 2026, during protests in Shahsavar. Security institutions later attempted to attribute his death to “Mossad agents” and reportedly pressured his family to endorse this narrative. In a public statement, the family declared that any comments attributed to immediate relatives supporting the official account would have been made under coercion.

Mehdi Saheli, 26, was also shot dead by government forces on January 10, 2026, during protests in Ramsar.

No official information has been released regarding the charges, whereabouts, or conditions of detention of the three arrested relatives.