Iran sees sharp rise in arbitrary arrests - 87 people detained in October
Hengaw – Monday, November 4, 2025
At least 87 people with fully verified identities were arrested across Iran by security forces during October 2025, according to data recorded by the Statistics and Documentation Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. This marks a 70.5% increase (36 additional cases) compared to October 2024, when 51 people were detained.
The arrests included at least 19 women activists, 4 children, 37 Kurds, 19 Baha’i people, and 16 Baloch. The highest number of detentions was documented in West Azerbaijan Province (Urmia), with 27 cases recorded.
Breakdown of arrested people by province
West Azerbaijan Province (Urmia) recorded the highest number of arrests with 27 cases, followed by Sistan and Baluchestan with 15 cases and Kurdistan Province (Sanandaj/Sine) with 9 cases.
West Azerbaijan (Urmia): 27 cases
(24 Kurds, 2 Turks, 1 Persian)
Sistan and Baluchestan: 15 cases
Kurdistan (Sanandaj): 9 cases
Tehran: 7 cases
(3 Kurds and 4 Persians)
Hamedan and Fars: 6 cases each
Khuzestan: 5 cases
(including 4 Arabs)
Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad: 4 cases
Mazandaran: 2 cases
Yazd: 1 case (1 Baloch)
Kermanshah (Kermashan), Gilan, Markazi, Semnan, and Alborz: 1 case each
Breakdown of arrested people by national and ethnic identity
According to Hengaw’s records, at least 37 Kurds were arrested during October, representing 42.5% of all individuals detained across Iran. Additionally, at least 16 Baloch (18.5%) were arrested.
Kurd: 37
Baloch: 16
Lor: 4
Arab: 4
Persian: 22
Gilak: 1
Ethnicity unconfirmed: 1
Arrests of religious minorities
Arrests of members of religious minorities continued in October. At least 19 Baha’i residents, including 12 women, were detained. Their names are as follows:
Agah Sadeqi (Bukan); Sonia Toudi’i (Babol); Fardin Bengaleh (Shiraz); Afshin Haghighat (Shiraz); Jinos Mohammadnezhad (Urmia); Hengameh Sharifi (Tehran); Negar Misaghian (Shiraz); Armaghan Enayati (Semnan); Matin Agahi (Tehran); Fahim Agahi (Tehran); Shakib Farzan (Shiraz); Adib Rahmani (Sari); Neda Mohibi (Hamedan); Farideh Ayoubi (Hamedan); Zarindokht Ahadzadeh (Hamedan); Jaleh Rezaei (Hamedan); Atefeh Zahedi (Hamedan); Noura Ayoubi (Hamedan); Roya Sabet (Shiraz)
Arrest of at least 4 children under 18
According to Hengaw’s records, at least four children under the age of 18 were arrested by Iranian security agencies in October 2025, accounting for 4.5% of all detainees recorded for the month.
At least two of these children are Kurdish, and two are Baloch. Their names are as follows:
Morteza Bijad, 16, from Rask
Mobin Nikjou, 17, from Rask
Rebvar Mousavi, 17, from Oshnavieh (Shno)
Zahir Azarim, 17, from Oshnavieh (Shno)
Arrest of 19 women activists
According to Hengaw’s records, at least 19 women activists were arrested in October 2025, equivalent to 22% of the total arrests for the month. These include 12 Baha’i women and 4 Kurdish women. The names are as follows:
Hamedan:
Neda Mohibi; Farideh Ayoubi; Zarindokht Ahadzadeh; Jaleh Rezaei; Atefeh Zahedi; Noura Ayoubi
Shiraz:
Kosar Dehbanzadeh; Negar Misaghian; Roya Sabet
Mahabad:
Gzing Ghazi; Sirwan Shawla
Kamyaran:
Noshin Rezaei; Zilan Kamangar
Urmia:
Jinos Mohammadnezhad
Babol:
Sonia Toudi’i
Tehran:
Hengameh Sharifi
Rasht:
Zahra Shahbazi Tabari
Semnan:
Armaghan Enayati
Yasuj:
Setareh Zarghami
During October 2025, at least two teachers and one student – all Kurdish – were arrested.
Teachers:
Hassan Faraji, university lecturer from Marivan
Jahangir Rostami, retired teacher from Sahneh
Student:
Mobin Talebani from Marivan
Arrests of media activists
No arrests of media activists were recorded in October 2025.
Arrests of writers and artists
During October 2025, at least two writers – Gzing Ghazi from Mahabad and Shayan Houshyar from Urmia – and one artist, Abbas Daghagheleh from Ahvaz, were arrested by Iranian security forces.
Hengaw has documented and verified the identities of all 87 individuals referenced in this report. This dataset includes only cases in which full identity confirmation was possible. Use of this information is permitted with proper citation.
