Lawyer and professional rights activist Zahra Naghshineh arrested in Tabriz

Hengaw – Saturday, September 12, 2026

Zahra Naghshineh, a Turkish lawyer and member of the East Azerbaijan Bar Association, has been arrested after reporting to a prosecutor’s office in Tabriz and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Naghshineh was arrested on September 9, 2026. She is a practicing lawyer and member of the East Azerbaijan Bar Association who has previously been active with the association’s Women’s Commission and the Secretariat for the Prevention of Violence Against Women.

Sources familiar with the case said Naghshineh had received an official summons requiring her to appear before Branch 15 of the Investigative Office of the Tabriz Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office to provide an explanation. She was taken into custody by security forces after reporting to the office.

The summons stated that the matter attributed to Naghshineh “did not constitute a criminal offense.” Despite this, a case was opened against her based on a report by the Tabriz Intelligence Ministry office and in connection with her legal and critical writings, as well as her professional activities concerning women’s rights and other legal issues.

No precise information is available regarding the charges formally brought against Naghshineh, the security agency responsible for her arrest or her place of detention. She has also been denied access to her legal rights.