Introduction: Definition of Arbitrary Arrest and Its Reality in Iran
Arbitrary arrest refers to the detention and deprivation of an individual’s liberty without legal authorization or beyond recognized judicial procedures. International human rights instruments strictly prohibit such acts. Even the legal codes of the regime ruling Iran formally ban arbitrary arrests. Nonetheless, in practice, these arrests occur frequently, violating both domestic and international law. International human rights organizations—including Amnesty International — have repeatedly and strongly condemned these practices. Victims include political activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and ordinary citizens.
Recent Cases of Arbitrary Arrests
Bijan Kazemi: Victim of a Security Scenario and Forced Confession
Bijan Kazemi (also known as Bijan Khajehpour Khoei) was arrested on January 20, 2025, without prior summons or formal notice, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in Kuhdasht, Lorestan. He was first taken to a solitary cell in the Intelligence Detention Center in Khorramabad, and later transferred to the notorious Ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran.
The authorities provided no explanation to his family regarding the reason for his arrest or his place of detention. This opaque and lawless arrest is emblematic of arbitrary detentions in Iran. Kazemi had previously endured imprisonment, but the prolonged silence and denial of contact in this case suggest a far more complex and calculated security scenario.
On May 15, 2025, his mother, Shahnaz Khosravi, issued a public statement, describing what she called a “fabricated case and forced confession project” targeting her son: “Today marks the 116th day of complete silence about Bijan. After relentless pursuit, I am no longer in doubt—Bijan is a victim of a pre-planned operation of coercion and fabricated accusations.”
“He has no phone contact, no visits, no legal counsel. I haven’t even heard his voice… His only ‘crime’ is his past… For a mother, even saying this is unbearable: I don’t know whether he is alive.” She added that her son’s access to basic human rights has been made conditional on his “cooperation”—a coded term in the regime’s security culture that equates to forced confession under torture.
Mohammad and Amirhossein Akbari Monfared
Two members of the family of Maryam Akbari Monfared—a political prisoner who has spent 16 years in prison without a single day of furlough—have also been arrested without charge, without any official warrant, and without access to legal representation.
– On Sunday, January 19, 2025, a group of intelligence agents—wearing bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles—stormed the Tehran family home of 22-year-old Amirhossein Akbari Monfared, just one day after the deaths of regime clerics Razini and Moghiseh. The agents violently dragged Amirhossein away, beating him in front of witnesses. Since that day, there has been no information about his whereabouts or condition.
– On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, intelligence agents raided the house once again—this time abducting his father, Mohammad Akbari Monfared. Mohammad is a former political prisoner from the 1980s and was also detained briefly during the 2022 uprising. He too has since disappeared, with no news available about him.
The renewed arrests of this family are only a stark reminder of the regime’s cruelty is a clear example of collective punishment.
Other Patterns of Arbitrary Arrests in Iran
Civil and Political Activists (With Vague Charges and No Due Process)
- Amirhossein Moradi and Ali Younesi: Two award-winning students and Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad medalists arrested in 2020. Charged with “corruption on Earth” and “collaboration with the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran,” they were subjected to extended solitary confinement and forced confessions under severe pressure.
- Mohammad Ali Dadkhah: Prominent human rights lawyer and co-founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, was arbitrarily arrested in July 2009 by unidentified agents at his office.
These are only a few examples of the blatant denial of justice faced by students and civil activists.
Ethnic and Religious Minorities
- Baha’is: Iran’s Baha’i community is systematically persecuted. Dozens have been detained solely for their religious beliefs—often accused of “membership in a deviant sect” or “propaganda against the regime.” In 2022, at least 90 Baha’is were arrested in cities including Shiraz, Tehran, Hamedan, Isfahan, and Mashhad.
- Gonabadi Dervishes: During the Golestan Haftom protests in 2018, hundreds of Dervishes were arrested. Kasra Nouri, a journalist and Dervish activist, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
- Kurds: Cultural and political Kurdish activists such as Raouf Sheikhveysi and Sirwan Hashemi were arrested in 2023 without any court orders. Their whereabouts remained unknown for weeks.
- Baluchis: Following the “Bloody Friday” massacre in Zahedan in October 2022, hundreds of Baluchi citizens were arrested. Reports indicate that more than 2,000 Baluchis—including minors—were detained in 2023 without legal representation or court orders. Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolghaffar Naqshbandi was also arrested in this context.
Mothers and Families of Victims Seeking Justice
The families of the victims of Ukraine Flight PS752, those killed during recent protests (notably November 2019), and the families of executed prisoners have frequently been subjected to arrest and harassment merely for seeking justice or organizing memorials for their loved ones. This pattern not only reflects a deep contempt for human rights, but crosses into the realm of authoritarian vengeance. Even lawful and peaceful pursuit of justice in Iran can lead to arbitrary detention.
Human Rights Violations in Arbitrary Detention
Arbitrary detention—especially when conducted without a valid judicial order, clear legal basis, or respect for due process—stands in stark contradiction to core international legal principles. These include:
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):
Article 9: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.” - International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):
Article 9: “Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention.” - Convention Against Torture (CAT):
Arbitrary detention—particularly when combined with torture or inhumane treatment—is a direct violation of this convention.
International Response: A Systematic Pattern of Abuse
International bodies including Amnesty International, the UN Special Rapporteurs, the International Federation for Human Rights, Reporters Without Borders, the Center for Human Rights in Iran, and numerous others have repeatedly sounded the alarm about this expanding pattern of repression.
UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman has highlighted the systematic nature of arbitrary arrests in Iran, especially targeting civil society activists, students, minorities, journalists, and artists. His reports denounce denial of access to chosen legal representation, lack of transparency in judicial proceedings, politically motivated charges, and forced confessions under torture. He has also voiced serious concern over suspicious deaths in detention and the regime’s refusal to investigate them.
In 2020, forty-seven member states of the UN Human Rights Council issued a joint statement condemning arbitrary arrests, torture, and unfair trials in Iran.
Recommendations
- Immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience and justice-seeking family members.
- Full and unhindered access for detainees to independent legal representation, medical services, and regular family contact.
- Independent and prompt access for the UN Special Rapporteur to security prisons and detention centers.
- Establishment of an international fact-finding committee to investigate and document cases of arbitrary detention and torture.
- Targeted sanctions against individuals responsible within Iran’s security and judicial apparatus.
Silence in the face of this institutionalized injustice is complicity.
The global conscience must rise—to defend those who, for the simple act of thinking, resisting, or seeking justice, have been made victims of a system built on repression.
