Hengaw report No. 4 on the wave of arrests amid the Iran–Israel war: At least 734 detained, including 32 women, two Afghan nationals, and eight European citizens  

Hengaw – Wednesday, June 25, 2025
 
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in its fourth documented report since the outbreak of war between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel, confirms that at least 734 individuals have been arrested across various provinces of Iran over the past 13 days. So far, Hengaw has verified the identities of 60 0f these detainees.
 
This wave of detentions reflects an intensifying state crackdown on civilians. Among the detainees are 32 women, two Afghan nationals, and eight European citizens, including one woman. The majority have been arrested by Iranian security and intelligence forces on charges such as “espionage for Israel,” “propaganda against the state,” and “disturbing public opinion.”
 
 
Arrests by province
 
According to data from Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center, the highest numbers of arrests have been recorded in the following provinces:
 
Kermanshah (Kermashan): 126 (including 6 women and 1 European citizen)
 
Tehran: 73 (including 1 woman and 1 Afghan national)
 
Khuzestan: 67
 
West Azerbaijan (Urmia): 59 (including 18 girls under the age of 18)
 
Fars: 56
 
Lorestan: 51
 
Gilan: 40
 
Hamadan: 37 (including 1 European citizen)
 
Razavi Khorasan: 24 (including 2 women)
 
Isfahan: 24 (including 3 Ukrainian nationals)
 
Qom: 22
 
Semnan: 21
 
Kerman: 21 (including 1 woman)
 
Bushehr: 19 (including 1 Afghan national)
 
Mazandaran: 17 (including 1 European woman)
 
Hormozgan: 15 (including 1 European citizen)
 
Golestan: 11
 
Qazvin: 10 (including 2 women)
 
Yazd: 8
 
Ardabil: 5
 
Alborz: 4
 
East Azerbaijan: 3
 
Kurdistan (Sanandaj): 2
 
Ilam: 4 (including 1 woman)
 
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari (Shahrekord): 1
 
North Khorasan: 1
 
Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad: 1 (including 1 European citizen)
 
Sistan and Baluchestan: 1
 
 
In addition to the province-based statistics, state-affiliated media outlets have reported the arrest of eight individuals in an unspecified border town and five others in another unnamed province. One of these individuals reportedly died by suicide while in detention. There are also unconfirmed reports of further arrests in Bukan, Markazi Province, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and among social media users in Mazandaran allegedly linked to pro-Israeli platforms. However, no official figures have been released regarding these cases.
 
 
Prosecutions for online activity
 
As part of the broader crackdown, Iranian judicial and intelligence authorities have initiated criminal proceedings against dozens of people for activities on social media. In Hamadan, 24 individuals have been charged with “espionage for Israel.” In Yazd, authorities have filed 81 legal cases within just one week against users for reposting critical content. Furthermore, at least 200 individuals have received official warnings or threats related to their online activity.
 
 
At least 32 females, including minors, among those detained
 
Among the 734 confirmed detainees are at least 32 females, including: 6 women in Qasr-e Shirin, 2 in Razavi Khorasan, 2 in Qazvin, 1 in Kerman, 1 in Tehran, and 1 in Ilam.
 
Additionally, 18 girls under the age of 18 were arrested in Mahabad for social media-related activities. They were later released on bail. A European woman was also arrested in Mazandaran.
 
These figures reflect a disproportionately high rate of detention among Kurdish females, who account for at least 26 of the female detainees. The arrests are part of a broader strategy of systematic repression, targeting not only political dissent but also freedom of expression and assembly, particularly among women and minorities.
 
 
Kurdish people targeted
 
Kurdish people represent a significant portion of the detainees. In Kermanshah Province, 126 arrests have been confirmed, and in West Azerbaijan (Urmia), an additional 59 individuals were detained. Among them are at least 26 Kurdish women and girls, underscoring what appears to be a deliberate focus by the Iranian security apparatus on suppressing Kurdish activism and civil engagement.
 
 
Detention of foreign nationals
 
Among the detainees are two Afghan nationals, arrested in Tehran and Bushehr. At least eight European citizens, including one woman, have also been arrested. Among them, three are Ukrainian nationals detained in Isfahan, while the others were arrested in Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Mazandaran.
 
The Islamic Republic of Iran has a documented history of detaining foreign and dual nationals as a means of political leverage and coercive diplomacy.
 
 
Executions of six people accused of “spying for Israel”
 
Since the beginning of the Iran–Israel war, Iranian authorities have executed six prisoners who were convicted of espionage for Israel. These include three Kurdish men—Idris Ali and Azad Shojaei from Sardasht, and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul from Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq—who were secretly executed at Urmia Central Prison. The others executed were Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh, Majid Masibi, and Esmail Fekri.
 
Hengaw has also raised urgent concerns over the imminent risk of execution for several other detainees, including Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish dual national.
 
 
Hengaw urges global community to act
 
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights strongly condemns this latest wave of arrests and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s continued use of national security charges to suppress civil liberties, including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and due process rights. Hengaw urges the international community and human rights bodies to respond swiftly and ensure independent monitoring and intervention regarding the situation of detainees across Iran.