The independent Center for Human Rights in Iran has been amplifying voices in Iran since 2008. Persian account: @ichri_FA media@iranhumanrights.org
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Mahnaz Chardoli, a mother of two and sole provider for her family, was arrested with her friends at a checkpoint on January 11, 2026.
She was tried in a joint case before Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The charges against her include “attacking a mosque with a Molotov cocktail,” “participating in gatherings,” and “assembly and collusion.” Reports indicate the court relied heavily on forced confessions obtained under pressure.
Based on available information, the case's status before the Supreme Court is unknown.
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Leila Abolhasani, a 43-year-old mother of two teenagers, was arrested during the January 2026 protests and sentenced to death on the charge of “waging war against God” by the Isfahan Revolutionary Court.
Authorities have accused her of involvement in setting the store on fire during the protests; however, her family has denied the accusation, saying she was only present at the scene and filming.
The case has been sent to the Supreme Court for review.
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Souda (Marzieh) Ebrahimi Shamsabadi, a 33-year-old blogger whose health is at risk due to multiple sclerosis (MS) and other illnesses, was arrested during the war and sentenced to death on several charges, including “corruption on earth,” “insulting the Supreme Leader,” and “propaganda activities against national security.”
Authorities cited as evidence against her a photograph she allegedly took from a distance of a site where a missile had struck and sent it to a media outlet based outside Iran.
She was reportedly held in solitary confinement for days and subjected to severe pressure during questioning.
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Najmeh Amini, a 23-year-old accounting student, was arrested on January 31 at a shopping center in Mashhad and sentenced to death and over 12 years in prison in two separate cases.
In an audio message from Vakilabad Prison, Amini said, “I am an innocent young girl with so many dreams. I just want justice and the opportunity to defend myself.” She called on the UN and human rights organizations to review her case.
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Maryam Hodavand, a mother of two currently held in Evin Prison, was arrested in connection with the January 8 protests in Pakdasht.
In a joint case involving three other defendants, she was sentenced to death on charges including “participation in the killing of two Basij members,” “deliberately setting fire to a religious site,” “destruction of public property,” and “assembly and collusion against national security.”
She was denied access to an independent lawyer, and the case was handled without fair trial standards.
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Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, 68, is held in Lakan Prison after being arrested at her home in Rasht in April 2025. She was initially sentenced to death by the Rasht Revolutionary Court in October 2025. According to reports, the case relied on limited evidence, including a piece of cloth bearing the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” and an unpublished audio message.
The Supreme Court later overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial. On April 14, 2026, Branch 2 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court again sentenced Shahbaz Tabari to death on charges of “armed rebellion through membership and activity in an opposition group.”
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Pakhshan Azizi was arrested in Tehran in August 2023 and sentenced to death & four years in prison in July 2024 following a grossly unfair trial for her peaceful humanitarian and human rights activities, including providing humanitarian support to women and children displaced in camps in northeast Syria due to ISIS attacks.
The Supreme Court upheld Azizi’s death sentence in January 2025, & retrial requests have been denied.
“During interrogations, they hanged me multiple times, buried me 10 meters underground, then pulled me back up,” Azizi wrote in a letter.
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🧵 Several Iranian women, including protesters, students, & mothers, are facing death sentences in cases marked by serious due process violations and politically motivated charges.
Their cases highlight the continuing use of the death penalty as a tool of repression in Iran. ⬇️
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21-year-old twin sisters Romina and Taraneh Rahimi were abducted from their home at night by masked men later identified as IRGC agents and held incommunicado for nearly four months over their participation in the January 8–9 protests. According to their family, they were tortured, and Taraneh was told: “If you do not sign this confession, we will rape your sister in front of you.”
Taraneh was sentenced to death for “waging war against God,” while Romina received a 36-year prison sentence.
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Iranian authorities once again blocked roads leading to Jina Mahsa Amini’s gravesite on the fourth anniversary of her killing in police custody, Amini's mother said today.
A widespread general strike was held Wednesday, September 16, across Kurdish-majority cities, with shops and bazaars closed in Saqqez, Sanandaj, Oshnavieh, Baneh, Bukan, Paveh, Piranshahr, Divandarreh, Qorveh, Kamyaran, Kermanshah, Javanrud, Marivan, Mahabad, and Miandoab. In Saqqez, Amini’s hometown, authorities failed to prevent the market shutdown.
Videos and reports also show a heavy security presence, including anti-riot units and military vehicles. Several Kurdish-majority cities reported severe internet disruptions.
#WomanLifeFreedom
#زن_زندگی_آزادی
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The Center for Human Rights in Iran joins Amnesty International’s call for the UN General Assembly to establish an international criminal justice mechanism for Iran.
Governments around the world should also pursue investigations and prosecutions of Iranian officials suspected of responsibility for crimes under international law, under universal jurisdiction.
Impunity for the crimes against humanity committed in 2022 emboldened the Iranian authorities to commit further atrocities.
Thousands were killed during nationwide protests on 8 and 9 January 2026, over 3,000 by the authorities’ own admission.
Demand International Justice for Crimes Against Humanity in Iran ✊
amnesty.org/en/petition/dema…
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Center for Human Rights in Iran retweeted
گزارش بیش از هزار صفحهای عفو بینالملل، افشا میکند که چگونه مقامات جمهوری اسلامی ایران برای سرکوب خیزش «زن، زندگی، آزادی» در سال ۲۰۲۲ مرتکب جنایت علیه بشریت شدند.
این گزارش همچنین ۸۷ مقام را شناسایی میکند که باید تحت تحقیقات کیفری قرار گیرند.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde…
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Center for Human Rights in Iran retweeted
On 16 Sep, the 4-year anniversary of the #WomanLifeFreedom uprising @amnesty will publish a landmark 1000+ page report on crimes under international law committed by Iran's authorities during the 2022 deadly crackdown. We'll be live-posting from a press conference at 10am UK time
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Center for Human Rights in Iran retweeted
Impunity for the crimes against humanity committed in 2022 emboldened the Iranian authorities to commit further atrocities.
Thousands were killed during nationwide protests on 8 and 9 January 2026, over 3,000 by the authorities’ own admission.
Demand International Justice for Crimes Against Humanity in Iran ✊
amnesty.org/en/petition/dema…
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Four years after Jina Mahsa Amini’s killing sparked the historic Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in Iran, those responsible for grave violations continue to enjoy impunity while protesters face imprisonment and execution.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran joins Amnesty International’s call for the UN General Assembly to establish an international criminal justice mechanism for Iran.
Governments around the world should also pursue investigations and prosecutions of Iranian officials suspected of responsibility for crimes under international law, under universal jurisdiction.
Read our statement: iranhumanrights.org/2026/09/…
#WomanLifeFreedom #زن_زندگی_آزادی
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As Iran approaches the fourth anniversary of the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, a diverse group of labor and civil society groups has issued a statement reaffirming the movement’s demands for freedom, equality, economic security, & an end to repression.
iranhumanrights.org/2026/09/…
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The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has called on Iranian authorities to immediately withdraw a sweeping “Countering Foreign Infiltration” bill that would criminalize routine contact with people and institutions abroad and expose journalists, academics, activists and ordinary citizens to lengthy prison sentences.
The Mission warned that the vaguely worded legislation would place virtually all interactions with the outside world—from journalism and academic cooperation to cultural, social and commercial activities—under government surveillance and approval, further restricting fundamental freedoms and isolating Iranians from the international community.
Read the full statement: iranhumanrights.org/2026/09/…
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Ali-Asghar (Alireza) Peyghambari, 26, arrested during Iran’s nationwide January 2026 protests, is at imminent risk of execution after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence.
Peyghambari was sentenced to death by Branch 23 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of “operational and security-related actions against the regime” and “encouraging individuals to participate in protests,” under the draconian Law on Intensifying Punishment for Espionage and Cooperation with Israel. Branch 9 of the Supreme Court recently upheld the sentence.
His attorney, Payam Derafshan, has said Peyghambari had no organizational or other ties to “hostile groups” and that the only conduct attributed to him was attending a protest. Derafshan said a request for a retrial and a stay of execution had been prepared.
Peyghambari was arrested by security forces on January 9, 2026, and released on bail in March. He was arrested again following a second hearing before Branch 23 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court in late May and transferred to Greater Tehran Prison. He was later transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison.
Protests and strikes by shopkeepers and bazaar merchants began in Tehran on December 28, 2025, and quickly spread across the country. State security forces responded with a deadly crackdown in January, massacring hundreds of protesters.
#علیاصغر_پیغمبری
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Join us for an evening of film and conversation featuring The Court of History, a new docudrama that confronts one of the most difficult questions facing Iran: How can those responsible for atrocities ultimately be held accountable?
RSVP today. ⬇️
eventbrite.com/e/film-screen…
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In a case involving 16 Iranian protesters arrested during the January 2026 nationwide protests, a Revolutionary Court has sentenced 10 to death and handed all 16 a combined 256 years in prison despite reports of torture and serious due process violations.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran previously reported on the alarming rise in group trials, in which protesters are prosecuted collectively rather than individually, denied meaningful access to independent legal counsel and case files, and subjected to torture and coercion to extract forced “confessions.”
Ten defendants, including two women, were sentenced to death and 11 years in prison each. Six others received prison terms ranging from 16 to 36 years from Branch 1 of the Esfahan Revolutionary Court. The combined prison sentences for all 16 defendants total 256 years, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
The case, known as the “Esfahan Shohada Square” case, stems from protests and clashes in and around Shohada Square in Esfahan in January. Two people died during the events, including a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a homeless man.
HRANA reports that the indictment does not contain a specific charge against any of the 16 defendants for killing either person. Instead, they were prosecuted on charges including “moharebeh,” “destruction of public property,” “assembly and collusion against national security,” and “propaganda against the regime.”
According to HRANA, prosecutors presented no evidence during the trial establishing that any of the defendants participated in the deaths.
The proceedings have also been marred by allegations of torture and restrictions on the defendants’ right to a fair defense.
Before the hearing, defense lawyers reportedly did not have access to a substantial portion of the case file and objected that they had been given insufficient time to review the documents and evidence.
During the hearing at Dastgerd Prison in Esfahan, Ahmadreza Saeedi told the court that he had been tortured during interrogation, adding that the investigator used an electric shock device on his neck and genitals.
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