Women & Youth
-
Students Protest over Imposed Academic Mandates Across Multiple Cities
A large group of Master’s and Ph.D. students from Islamic Azad University, with a notably strong presence of female students, staged a protest outside the university’s central headquarters in Tehran on 22 June. They opposed the authorities’ sudden decision to hold final examinations in person. In response to the growing…
-
Maryam Akbari Monfared Freed from Prison in Iran after 17 Years
Maryam Akbari Monfared has been released after spending 17 years in prison, including 3 additional years added to her sentence. A mother of 3 young children, she was arrested during the December 2009 protests in Tehran and sentenced to 15 years on charges including acting against national security, propaganda against…
-
Political Prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared Finally Freed After 17 Years in Iran Prisons
Maryam Akbari Monfared, one of Iran’s longest-serving female political prisoners, was released on April 8, 2026, after nearly 17 years in prison without a single day of furlough. Her release marks a moment of hope for many who campaigned for her freedom. Despite suffering from multiple serious health conditions, authorities…
-
Protests Erupt in Unison across Several Universities as Students Reject the Shah and the Mullahs
A sweeping wave of anti-regime protests has erupted across Iranian universities, as students at some of the country’s most prominent academic institutions boycotted classes and turned their campuses into centres of open resistance against the ruling theocracy. Demonstrations spread through several major universities in Tehran. Protests also reached Isfahan University…
-
Political Prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared’s Prison Sentence Extended
14th Oct 2024 – Iran’s longest serving female political prisoner, Maryam Akbari Monfared, has had her prison sentence extended once again, after 15 years imprisonment. Background: Maryam Akbari Monfared was born on December 14, 1975, and is the mother of three daughters. She is one of the most resistant female…
-
5 Female Activists Sentenced to over 20 years in Prison
19th August 2024 – Five female activists from Gilan Province, located in northern Iran along the Caspian Sea, have been sentenced to a total of 20 years and 7 months in prison by the Iranian judiciary. The activists—(L-R) Nina Golestani, Negin Edalatkhah, Anahita Hejazi, Rozita Rajaei, and Anahita Doostdar —were…
-
Arezou Badri left Paralysed after being Shot by Security Forces over Mandatory Hijab Laws
19th August 2024 – Arezou Badri, a 31-year-old mother of two, was shot by Iranian security forces due to non-compliance with mandatory hijab. She is currently in critical condition at Valiasr Hospital in Tehran, where she recently underwent a second surgery on Thursday, August 15, 2024. On July 22nd, Badri,…
-
Unjust Arrests and Imprisonment of Women in Iran
17th January 2024 – The clerical regime continues to arrest and imprison freedom-loving rights activists, sentencing them to unjust prison sentences and heavy fines to fill the regime’s pockets. In recent weeks, women have been subject to unjust incarcerations and cruel punishments.
-
Young Woman Taken to Psychiatry Hospital after being Beaten by Security Forces for Improper Veiling
23 October 2023 – Roya Zakeri,a young woman from Tabriz, was brutalized by security forces on Sunday, October 15, 2023, for not covering her hair. A viral video clip of Ms. Zakeri showed her sitting on the ground and crying out slogans against the mullahs’ supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. For this…
-
2 Female Journalists Sentenced to Total of 25 Years in Prison
23 October 2023 – Journalists Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi have been imprisoned for more than one year for reporting the truth behind the killing in custody of Mahsa Amini. They spent some months in the notorious Qarchak Prison and were relocated to Evin Prison on May 1, 2023. Niloufar Hamedi was sentenced to…