Iran arrests six women as crackdown persists
Hengaw – Friday, February 27, 2026
At least six women have been arrested by Iranian government forces in the cities of Sabzevar, Bandar Abbas, Kerman, Yazd, and Rasht, accoridng to information obtaine by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
Most remain in detention, with limited or no information available regarding their legal status.
The details are as follow:
Kerman
Fatemeh Rowhandeh, a lawyer and member of the Kerman Bar Association, was arrested on February 23, 2026, at the Cyber Police (FATA) office in Kerman and transferred to the city’s narcotics detention facility.
According to informed sources, she had received summons calls from FATA and a security body in the days prior to her arrest. Her detention is linked to her legal representation of individuals arrested during recent protests.
Yazd
Noushin Manshadi, 40, was arrested on February 22, 2026, and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Sources state that she suffers from an autoimmune disease, raising serious concerns about her health and access to necessary medical care while in detention.
Rasht
Setareh Afshoun, a playwright and theater director, was arrested at her home on February 23, 2026. Government forces searched her residence and confiscated electronic devices. She was released on bail two days later from an IRGC Intelligence detention facility.
In a separate case, Forouzan Yektayi, a teacher and photographer based in Rasht, was arrested earlier on January 9, 2026. According to sources, her detention is related to her participation in protests in Rasht and photographing public gatherings. She spent 20 days in solitary confinement and is currently being held in Lakan Prison, facing security-related charges.
Bandar Abbas
Mahdieh Zarei, a dance instructor, was arrested by plainclothes agents in mid-February 2026. Authorities had previously confiscated her mobile phone on January 15, 2026. No official information has been released regarding the charges against her.
Sabzevar
Fatemeh Namani, a midwife at the Sultanabad rural health center near Sabzevar and the mother of a two-year-old child, was arrested at her workplace on February 25, 2026, and transferred to the quarantine ward of Sabzevar Prison.
Her arrest is connected to the publication of several protest-related Instagram stories.
