Iranian authorities have intensified pressure on the families of political prisoners and executed dissidents in recent weeks, with multiple reports indicating arrests, enforced disappearances, and restrictions targeting relatives of members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
The measures come alongside a broader wave of executions and security crackdowns that rights advocates say increasingly extend beyond prisoners themselves to include grieving family members seeking information about their loved ones.
Arrests Following Efforts to Recover Executed Prisoners’ Bodies
On April 18, Iranian authorities arrested Akram and Azam Daneshvarkar, sisters of executed PMOI member Akbar Daneshvarkar. According to reports, Akbar Daneshvarkar, a civil engineer, had been held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison before being executed on March 30.
In the days following the execution, his sisters reportedly spent nearly three weeks traveling between Ghezel Hesar Prison, forensic offices, and judicial institutions attempting to recover his body and determine the location of his burial.
Authorities later charged the sisters with “assembly and collusion against national security” and “disrupting public order,” before transferring them to Qarchak Prison.
Akram Daneshvarkar, 54, had also participated in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, an initiative opposing executions in Iran and advocating for prisoners facing death sentences.
The arrests fit a recurring pattern described by activists and former prisoners in which families attempting to hold memorial ceremonies, obtain burial information, or publicly discuss executions face legal threats or detention.
Families of 1988 Massacre Victims Remain Under Pressure
The pressure has also extended to families connected to victims of the 1988 prison massacre.
On April 4, authorities arrested 63-year-old Masoumeh Azhini, sister of Mahmoud Azhini, a PMOI member murdered by the regime during the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners.
Masoumeh Azhini had reportedly been detained previously in 2019 after seeking accountability regarding her brother’s death. In recent years, she had relocated from Tehran to the outskirts of Gorgan following what sources described as ongoing harassment by security agencies.
Her current whereabouts have not been publicly disclosed.
For decades, relatives of those executed in 1988 have faced restrictions on commemorations, surveillance, and periodic arrests, particularly around anniversaries or public calls for investigations into the killings.
Executions Followed by Detentions of Relatives
The case of Babak Alipour illustrates how authorities have increasingly moved against entire families connected to political prisoners.
Alipour was executed on March 31, 2026. According to reports, security forces had arrested several members of his family more than two months earlier.
Those detained included his 63-year-old mother, Omolbanin Dehghan, his sister Maryam, 31, and his brother Roozbeh, 40.
Dehghan had reportedly been active in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign prior to her arrest.
Family members were allegedly prevented from holding a final meeting with Babak Alipour before the execution, while authorities also reportedly refused to release his body afterward.
Human rights observers have long documented similar practices in Iran involving delayed notifications of executions, restrictions on funerals, and refusal to disclose burial sites, particularly in cases involving political prisoners.
Such measures often leave families navigating a maze of prisons, judicial offices, and security agencies in search of information.
Elderly Relatives Also Targeted
Reports also indicate that elderly family members have not been spared.
On March 29, security forces reportedly detained Vali Zoghi-Tabar, the father of imprisoned PMOI supporter Shahin Zoghi-Tabar. According to sources familiar with the case, he had recently undergone two surgeries and required ongoing medical care at the time of his arrest.
The detention of aging parents and relatives has become an increasingly visible feature of the government’s broader security response to dissent. Analysts say such arrests place additional psychological pressure on prisoners while discouraging public mourning gatherings or protests.
In many cases, funerals and memorial ceremonies for executed dissidents have evolved into politically charged events, drawing security attention and sometimes leading to further arrests.
Expanding Security Climate After Nationwide Unrest
The latest arrests come months after widespread anti-government unrest that swept Iran between December 2025 and January 2026.
During those protests, demonstrations spread across multiple cities, prompting a large-scale security response. Reports from activists and rights groups described mass arrests and deadly confrontations between protesters and security forces.
The crackdown has continued amid a tense political atmosphere following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026.
Within this environment, authorities appear to have intensified efforts against individuals and networks perceived as linked to organized opposition groups, particularly the PMOI.
The campaign has included executions, arrests of activists, expanded surveillance, and growing pressure on prisoners’ families.
Observers note that in many of these cases, the families themselves are not accused of violent activity, but rather face prosecution linked to mourning ceremonies, public advocacy, or efforts to obtain information about detained or executed relatives.
Calls for International Attention
Human rights advocates and opposition groups have urged international organizations to respond more forcefully to the reported abuses.
Appeals have been directed toward the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and international rights organizations to investigate the arrests and treatment of prisoners’ families.
The reported detentions, disappearances, and restrictions on mourning ceremonies add to longstanding concerns over collective punishment practices in Iran’s security system.
For many families, the process begins after an execution: unanswered calls, prison visits without information, searches for burial locations, and, increasingly, the risk of arrest for asking questions publicly.
As executions continue and political tensions remain high, the pressure on relatives of dissidents appears to be expanding alongside the state’s wider security crackdown.
