Activist Sepideh Gholian released after serving six-month sentence
Hengaw – Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Political activist Sepideh Gholian has been released from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad after serving a six-month prison sentence.
According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Gholian was released from Vakilabad Prison on Saturday, May 30, 2026, after completing her sentence.
She was arrested on December 12, 2025, during a memorial ceremony marking the seventh day after the death of lawyer Khosrow Alikurdi at Ghadir Mosque in Mashhad. Government forces used severe violence during the arrest. Following her detention, Gholian was initially transferred to a Ministry of Intelligence detention facility before being moved to Vakilabad Prison approximately two months later.
In early February 2026, Branch One of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court sentenced Gholian to five years of suspended imprisonment and six months of discretionary imprisonment on charges of “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against internal and external security” and “propaganda against the state.” She has now been released after serving the custodial portion of the sentence, while the five-year suspended sentence remains in effect.
Gholian has previously been arrested and imprisoned multiple times because of her civil and political activities. Most recently, she was released from Evin Prison in June 2025 after completing an earlier prison sentence.
Following her release, Gholian went directly to the gravesite of Khosrow Alikurdi, a prominent human rights lawyer who represented numerous political prisoners and government critics in Iran. Alikurdi died under circumstances that raised serious questions and prompted calls for an independent investigation. His memorial ceremony led to the arrest of Gholian and several other civil and human rights activists, including Narges Mohammadi, Alieh Motalebzadeh, Pouran Nazemi, and Hasti Amiri, as well as members of Alikurdi’s family and numerous other activists.
In a statement published on her Instagram page, Gholian wrote: “I came straight from prison to Khosrow’s grave.” Referring to her arrest at the memorial ceremony, she said the Islamic Republic’s actions that day “must not and cannot” halt her pursuit of truth and justice. She also highlighted the situation of prisoners who remain in Vakilabad Prison, stressing the importance of documenting their circumstances and ensuring they are not forgotten.
