Melika Kavandi re-arrested in Karaj amid renewed crackdown on Woman, Life, Freedom activists

Hengaw — Monday, February 9, 2026

Iranian authorities arrested Melika Kavandi, a Kurdish woman from Bijar and a former detainee of the Woman, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement, in Karaj and transferred her to Sanandaj Central Prison.

Based on information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, authorities detained Kavandi on the evening of Sunday, February 8, 2026, under a judicial warrant and legal delegation issued by the Bijar Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office. She was arrested in Karaj by Iranian government forces and subsequently transferred to Sanandaj Central Prison.

Sources close to Kavandi’s family said she had previously been arrested and held for one month in Sanandaj Prison. Her re-arrest comes as her husband, Mohammad Nosrati, also a detainee from the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, has been in custody since January 8, 2026, and remained imprisoned at the time of her arrest.

Hengaw sources further said that Kavandi was arrested while mourning the recent death of her father and was experiencing significant psychological distress.

Authorities have not disclosed the reasons for her arrest or any charges against her.