At least 87 people detained by Iranian security forces in August 2025

Hengaw – Wednesday, September 3, 2025

According to data recorded by the Statistics and Documentation Center of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 87 citizens were arrested by security forces across Iran in August 2025. The identities of 78 of those detained have been confirmed. This figure represents a decrease of six cases, or 6.5 percent, compared to the same month last year, when at least 93 citizens were arrested in August 2024.

Those detained last month included at least seven women activists, one child, 39 Kurds, 21 Baloch, and two Baha’i activists. In several cases, individuals were arrested or abducted. The highest numbers of arrests were recorded in West Azerbaijan (Urmia) and Sistan and Balochistan provinces, with 16 cases each.

Arrests by province

West Azerbaijan (Urmia): 16 cases (15 Kurds, 1 Persian)

Sistan and Balochistan: 16 cases

Kurdistan (Sanandaj): 14 cases

Tehran: 12 cases (7 Persians, 4 Kurds, 1 Turkmen)

Khuzestan: 5 cases (3 Arabs, 2 Lors)

Yazd: 5 cases (4 Baloch, 1 Persian)

Ilam, Kermanshah (Kermashan), and Gilan: 3 cases each

Razavi Khorasan: 2 cases

Kerman: 2 cases (1 Baloch, 1 Persian)

Markazi, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Ardabil, Alborz, East Azerbaijan, and Isfahan: 1 case each

Arrests by ethnic and national minorities

According to Hengaw’s data, at least 39 Kurds were arrested in August, accounting for 45 percent of all arrests nationwide. At least 21 Baloch (24 percent) were also detained.

Kurds: 39

Baloch: 21

Persians: 15

Lors: 3

Gilaks: 3

Arabs: 3

Turks: 2

Turkmen: 1

Arrests of religious and faith minorities

Arrests of members of religious and faith minorities continued in August. At least two Baha’i activists and five Sunni activists—three Baloch and two Kurds—were arrested or abducted. Their names are:

Baha’i activists:

1. Shahram Falahi – Kerman

2. Keyhan Maqsoudi – Urmia

Sunni activists:

1. Mansour Baloch – Qasr-e Qand

2. Masoud Baloch – Qasr-e Qand

3. Nasih Moradi – Javanrud

4. Alireza Barahouei – Zahedan

5. Voria Amiri, 16 – Sarpol-e Zahab

Arrest of at least one child under 18

Based on Hengaw’s statistics, at least one child was arrested in August 2025, representing 1.2 percent of the total. The child was Kurdish:

Voria Amiri, 16 – Sarpol-e Zahab, Kermanshah Province (Kermashan)

Arrests of women activists

At least seven women activists were arrested in August 2025, making up 8.5 percent of the total. Their names are:

Tehran: Elham Salehi, Fatemeh Ziaei, Marjan Ardeshirzadeh

Bandar Anzali: Sahar Soltani

Marivan: Zhino Karimi

Sabzevar: Tahereh Kolateh Seyfari

Rasht: Shahrzad Sharbiyani

Arrests of teachers and university students

No arrests of teachers or university students were recorded in Hengaw’s database during August 2025.

Arrests of media activists

At least two media activists were arrested last month:

Meysam Rashidi – Ardabil

Nariman Randani – Saqqez

Arrests of writers and artists

At least one writer and artist was arrested in August 2025:

Navab Qezelbash – Tehran

The identities of all 87 detainees have been verified and registered by the Statistics and Documentation Center of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. Use of this data is permitted with proper attribution. These figures include only cases in which the full identities of those arrested have been confirmed by Hengaw.