Network specialist Mahmoud Qanbari Rad faces fabricated security charges

Hengaw – Saturday, June 20, 2026

Iranian judicial and security authorities have brought serious security charges against Mahmoud Qanbari Rad, a 40-year-old Tehran resident and network security specialist, including allegedly providing information to Israel. He says the case is fabricated and that he is under intense pressure to make a forced confession.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Qanbari Rad was recently transferred to Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary (Fashafuyeh) after spending a month in solitary confinement in security detention facilities.

Security forces arrested Qanbari Rad in May 2026 during a raid on his home in Tehran. He was subsequently held for a month in a security detention facility at Evin Prison, where he underwent intensive interrogations before being transferred to Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary.

Authorities have charged Qanbari Rad with “assembly and collusion against national security,” “collecting classified information,” and “providing information to Israel.” During a brief phone call from prison, he stated that the case against him is entirely “fabricated” and that he is under severe pressure to accept what he described as baseless accusations. At the time of his arrest, he was working as a network security specialist for an information technology company in Tehran.

The married 40-year-old has been denied access to an independent lawyer and a fair trial since his arrest.