Brother and sister detained during protests at risk of death penalty in Mashhad

Hengaw – Saturday, May 9, 2026

Seyedeh Zeynab (Aban) Mousavi and her brother, Seyed Hassan Mousavi, both detained during the protests earlier this year, are facing the charge of “moharebeh” (waging war against God) before the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, a charge that carries the death penalty under Iranian law.

Based on information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a court session addressing the charges against the two siblings was held at the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad on Sunday, April 26, 2026.

During interrogations, government authorities accused the pair of “throwing Molotov cocktails” in connection with the protests in Mashhad, an allegation commonly raised against detainees under pressure to obtain forced confessions.

Zeynab and Hassan Mousavi were arrested on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, and later transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad after undergoing interrogation in government detention centers. Their continued detention comes amid repeated calls by Iran’s judiciary chief to accelerate the issuance and implementation of sentences against those arrested during the protests earlier this year.

Hengaw had previously reported that at least 30 individuals detained during the protests that began in late December and continued into January have so far been sentenced to death, 13 of whom have already been executed.