Women’s rights activist Soheila Motaei imprisoned to serve sentence in Sanandaj Central Prison

Hengaw – Sunday, June 21, 2026

Soheila Motaei, a women’s rights activist from Dehgolan (Dewlan) who has previously been arrested multiple times for her civil activism, has been detained to serve her prison sentence and transferred to the women’s ward of Sanandaj Central Prison.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Motaei was summoned to the Enforcement of Sentences Office of the Dehgolan Judiciary and was arrested on Saturday, June 13, 2026, following her appearance at the office. She was subsequently transferred to the women’s ward of Sanandaj Central Prison.

In her most recent case, related to her participation in International Women’s Day (March 8) events, Motaei was sentenced in December 2025 by the Criminal Court of Dehgolan to six months’ imprisonment and three years of suspended imprisonment on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “publishing content in media outlets outside Iran.”

The sentence was issued despite the judiciary denying her the opportunity to mount an effective defense. According to available information, judicial authorities explicitly informed her that she would not be permitted to file an appeal or seek a review of the verdict.

In a separate case in June 2025, Branch 102 of the Second Criminal Court of Dehgolan sentenced Motaei to three months’ imprisonment and three years of suspended imprisonment on charges of “propaganda in favor of groups or organizations opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Motaei was arrested on the evening of Monday, March 10, 2025, after participating in International Women’s Day events in Sanandaj and was released one week later on bail.

She was also arrested twice during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement and was sentenced to a total of 60 months in prison. After serving several months of her sentence, she was released under an amnesty.