Sixteen arrested across multiple Iranian cities; whereabouts of many remain unknown

Hengaw – Sunday, February 1, 2026

At least sixteen people — including three women, two doctors, four students, one lawyer, and one 17-year-old minor — have been arrested by Iranian government forces across several cities amid the continuing wave of protest-related detentions. The arrests were reported in Tehran, Karaj, Kerman, Ahvaz, Dehdasht, Lahijan, Ramsar, Babol, and Gorgan, and the fate of many of those detained remains unknown.

The detainees have been identified as Behzad Babaei, Zahra Haiydarpour, Niloufar Pas, Reza Vafaei, Amirhossein Khojandi, Hooman Jalil, Erfan Javadi, Behdad Piri, Javad Lasemi, Farhad Nadali, Sobhan Esmaildoost, Amir Mazloom, Amir Moshiri, Reza Taheri, Hamidreza Vatani, and Zahra Javani.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least seven are Gilak or Mazanis and two are Lor.

Details of the arrests by location are as follows.

Tehran and Karaj

In Tehran, Behzad Babaei, 29, was arrested in the early hours of January 28, 2026, when approximately 15 armed government agents raided his home. He was beaten during the arrest and transferred to an undisclosed location. Five days later, no information about his condition or whereabouts had been released, aside from notice that his case was referred to the Evin Prosecutor’s Office.

In recent days, Hamidreza Vatani, a child rights activist and inspector with the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child, and Zahra Javani, a lawyer and member of the Tehran Bar Association, were also arrested in Tehran. Authorities have not disclosed the dates or places of their detention.

Reza Vafaei, a petroleum engineering graduate of Amirkabir University, was arrested on January 18 and transferred to Evin Prison. Reports state that his family has been placed under pressure by government bodies to refrain from publicizing his case. He has been denied phone contact since his arrest.

Behdad Piri, a biology student at Beheshti University, was detained by government forces on January 8. More than 25 days later, no verified information about his status has been made available. University and government authorities have threatened his family and classmates.

Reza Taheri, a biology teacher and PhD student in microbiology residing in Karaj, was arrested by government forces during the past week. His place of detention and legal status remain unknown.

Lahijan, Ramsar, Babol, and Gorgan

In Lahijan, Zahra Haidarpour, a 60-year-old Gilak woman, was arrested on January 25 and transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht. She is the mother of Dr. Sobhan Esmaildoost, a dentist who was also arrested days earlier.

Dr. Sobhan Esmaildoost, 36, a Gilak dentist from Lahijan and father of two children, has been subjected to torture in detention. After several days without contact, he was allowed one brief call to his family, during which he said, “They are killing me alive.” His physical and psychological condition is reported to be critical, and his place of detention remains undisclosed.

Amirhossein Khojandi, 31, a Mazani resident of Ramsar, was arrested on January 16. According to received reports, he sustained fractures to his leg, shoulder, and teeth while in custody. Although bail was set, government authorities have prevented his release.

In Gorgan, Dr. Farhad Nadali, a general surgeon and faculty member at Golestan University of Medical Sciences, was arrested on January 9 and transferred to an undisclosed location. His arrest followed his objections to government forces firing from inside a hospital toward protesters and wounded individuals.

In Babol, Javad Lasemi, 34, a Gilak man, was arrested during protests on the evening of January 8 and taken to an unknown location. No information about his fate has since been released.

Two additional Gilaks from Lahijan — Amir Mazloom, a real estate agent, and Amir Moshiri, owner of a café-restaurant — were arrested during the December protest period. Both have been denied contact with their families, and no official information has been provided regarding their detention locations or condition.

Kerman, Ahvaz, and Dehdasht

In Kerman, Niloufar Pas, a 27-year-old yoga instructor, was arrested by government forces on January 19. Thirteen days later, no information about her fate has been made available.

In Ahvaz, Hooman Jalil, a 22-year-old Lor man from Yasuj and a professional doctoral student at Chamran University, was violently arrested by government forces on January 8 in the Kianpars district and transferred to Sheiban Prison. He is a cousin of former political prisoner Kourosh Jalil.

On the same day in Dehdasht, Erfan Javadi, a 17-year-old Lor minor, was seized by government forces outside his home and taken to an undisclosed location. No authority has accepted responsibility for his detention, and his status remains unknown.