Iran arrests at least 1,700 people amid wartime crackdown — Hengaw exclusive report
Hengaw – Thursday, March 26, 2026
Iranian security forces have arrested at least 1,700 people across the country since the outbreak of the recent war between the United States, Israel and Iran, according to data compiled by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. The arrests, documented between February 28 and March 26, 2026, have targeted individuals, civil activists and families seeking justice, and have taken place amid intensified security measures and widespread internet restrictions.
Based on data collected by the Statistics and Documentation Center of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, security forces including the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Ministry of Intelligence and the Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA) used wartime conditions to intensify the security atmosphere in cities and carry out mass arrests without presenting legal warrants during this period. At least 1,700 people have been detained by these institutions, and Hengaw has so far verified the identities of 70 of them.
Charges brought against detainees and pressure on those arrested
Iranian judicial and security authorities have categorized the accusations against detainees into several main categories, including espionage, acting against national security and media activity. The accusations include photographing sensitive sites, sending military coordinates, cooperating with foreign intelligence services, including Israel’s Mossad, possession of weapons or satellite internet equipment such as Starlink, attempts to organize gatherings or armed clashes, and communication with foreign media or online activity deemed to be disrupting the psychological security of society.
Arrest of more than 300 Kurdish people during the recent war
Based on statistics recorded by Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center, since the beginning of the war and up to March 26, 2026, at least 300 Kurdish people have been arrested in the provinces of Ilam, Kermanshah (Kermashan), Kurdistan (Sanandaj), West Azerbaijan (Urmia), as well as Tehran. Hengaw has so far been able to verify the full identities of 25 of the detained Kurdish individuals.
Denial of fair trial rights and forced confessions
Hengaw Organization for Human Rights states that as the military conflict began, the Iranian government imposed severe restrictions and widespread internet shutdowns, effectively creating barriers to monitoring by human rights organizations and the international community. This near total information blackout has significantly increased the vulnerability of detainees and raised serious concerns about enforced disappearances and systematic torture.
The lack of free access to information has not only made the identification of detainees extremely difficult, but has also given security institutions greater room to intensify repression and build cases against those arrested.
From the early days of the war, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), in continued cooperation with security and intelligence institutions, broadcast videos of forced confessions from several detainees. These videos, recorded under solitary confinement and severe psychological and physical pressure, have no legal evidentiary value and constitute a clear violation of Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
At the time of publishing this report on March 26, 2026, due to internet shutdowns, the systematic obstruction of information channels and the climate of fear imposed on families, the identities of the majority of detained individuals have not yet been confirmed by Hengaw, and only 70 detainees have been identified so far.
Hengaw expresses serious concern about the health conditions and places of detention of these individuals. The use of detainees as human shields in military and security centers that are targeted in attacks constitutes a clear war crime and a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions. Hengaw had previously reported that during the bombing of the Shahramfar detention facility in Sanandaj (Sine) and the Intelligence detention facility in the same city, several detained individuals were injured.
