Women in Iran have faced a wave of widespread arrests and targeted repression; a wave that indicates a planned intensification of control amid the crisis. Features of this period include mass arrests, the issuance of heavy judicial sentences, and increased harassment and pressure on the families of political prisoners, those executed, and those killed during the January 2026 uprising.
This report presents a picture of the situation of women in conditions where political crises and restrictions on information have further obscured the true scale of violations of their rights.
Iran’s regime has once again exploited the atmosphere of tension and war crisis it has imposed on the Iranian people to intensify domestic repression. While public attention was partly focused on regional developments and war, security apparatuses systematically expanded the scope of control and suppression inside the country.
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Field reports indicate that a wave of daily arrests, including among women and young girls, has been underway. These arrests are often carried out under vague security charges and without transparent judicial procedures. In many cases, these women and girls are arrested together with their husbands or other family members.
These arrests are part of a deliberate policy to create fear and intimidation and to prevent the formation of an uprising.
On April 19, 2026, Ahmadreza Radan, the commander-in-chief of the regime’s State Security Forces, announced in a televised interview the arrest of 1,800 people. Of this number, 700 were detained for activity on social media networks. (Fars News Agency, April 19, 2026, a state-run Iranian news agency) He did not specify the timeframe of these arrests, but it is believed they occurred either since the beginning of the war or after the January uprising.
Iran’s judiciary system typically justifies these arrests under charges such as collaboration with the enemy, moharebeh (enmity against God, an accusation that can carry the death penalty), or propaganda against the system, framing them as national security cases. Due to widespread internet shutdowns or severe restrictions and tight control over information flow, exact arrest figures are not available; however, estimates indicate the arrest and imprisonment of many women and girls.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian regime’s parliament, in this regard urged government forces, saying: “Do not abandon the street choke point.” (Tasnim News Agency, March 30, 2026, a media outlet close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) Media outlets close to security institutions have also emphasized the importance of continuous street presence by forces to control protests.
Meanwhile, the National Council of Resistance of Iran announced in a statement that during nationwide protests from December 28, 2025 to January 14, 2026, more than 50,000 people were arrested. Among them are a significant number of women, youth, and students, many of whom have been forcibly disappeared and are now under torture and facing unfair trials and death sentences. So far, nine detained protesters from the Dey (January) uprising have been executed.
Previously, Masoumeh Ebtekar, former head of the Iranian regime’s Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs, stated in a note that 77% of those arrested in the January nationwide protests were under 30 years old, including 17% school students and 6% university students. (Etemad newspaper, April 15, 2026, a state-run newspaper)
Execution as a tool of intimidation; women facing death sentences
The death penalty continues to be used as one of the regime’s main tools to create fear and prevent the expansion of social protests. Between March 19 and April 25, 2026, eight political members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the regime’s main opposition, and nine young protesters arrested during the January uprising were executed.
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Among them, dozens of female protesters have either been sentenced to death or are facing severe charges that could lead to execution.
Mahboubeh Shabani, 33, from Mashhad, is being held in Vakilabad prison on charges of moharebeh. This charge, which can lead to a death sentence, is related to assisting in transferring injured protesters to medical centers during the January uprising.
Fatemeh Abbasi, 34, and the mother of a 13-year-old girl, who was arrested along with her father during the January nationwide protests, was recently transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison after weeks of torture and interrogation for forced confessions. Fatemeh has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, and her father, who was sentenced to death, was executed two days ago.
Families are deprived of holding mourning and memorial ceremonies.
These measures indicate a systematic effort to prevent the formation of any justice-seeking movement and social solidarity around the victims. Such behavior not only violates the basic rights of families but also imposes severe emotional and psychological pressure on surviving women, especially mothers.
