Mahshad Keshani rearrested after release in January protest case

Hengaw – Monday, August 3, 2026

Mahshad Keshani, a university student who was previously detained during Iran's January 2026 protests, has been rearrested by Iranian security forces in Isfahan and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, four plainclothes security agents—three men and one woman—raided Keshani's family home in Isfahan at around 7:00 a.m. on Monday, August 3, 2026, and took her into custody without presenting a warrant or identifying the agency responsible.

People close to the family said the agents told them the arrest was linked to the opening of a new case against Keshani. She is reportedly facing charges including "inciting people to wage war and kill one another with the intent of disrupting national security" and "disrupting public order and peace."

Keshani was previously arrested on December 31, 2025, during the January protests in Isfahan and transferred to Dowlatabad Prison to serve a sentence in an earlier case. In July 2026, after completing that sentence, she was temporarily released on bail in connection with her January protest case.

Her whereabouts and condition remain unknown. She has been denied telephone contact and family visits since being taken into custody.