Two sisters arrested in Karaj as husband released a day earlier in Bijar

Hengaw – Friday, February 13, 2026

Melika Kavandi, a former detainee of the Woman, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement, and her sister Sara Kavandi have been arrested by Iranian government forces in Karaj and transferred to Kachouei Prison. Melika’s husband, Mohammad Nosrati, had been detained for one month and was released one day before the sisters’ arrest.

According to information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Melika Kavandi, 38, and Sara Kavandi, 47, were arrested on Sunday, February 8, 2026, during a raid on Melika’s home in Karaj. Both were subsequently transferred to Kachouei Prison in the city.

Informed sources state that Melika Kavandi is facing charges of “propaganda against the state” and “absconding.” The charges against Sara Kavandi remain unclear. Melika had previously been arrested and held for one month in Sanandaj Prison in connection with the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

Melika’s husband, also a former detainee of the movement, was arrested on Friday, January 9, 2026, during a raid on his family home in Bijar and released on February 7, one day before the sisters’ arrest.

The two sisters were detained while mourning the recent death of their father and are reportedly experiencing severe psychological distress.

Hengaw has further learned that on the night of her husband’s arrest in Bijar, Melika Kavandi was not present at home, as she had traveled to Tehran due to her father’s deteriorating health. Authorities have since cited her absence at that time as grounds for the charge of “absconding.”