Secret Detention Centers: The Gray Zone of Crimes Against Humanity
Soroush Detention Center in Mashhad is a temporary and secret facility built within the Soroush complex, positioned behind a sports hall that serves as visual cover. According to Iran Human Rights Monitoring (Iran HRM) sources, this center is a transfer point for numerous detainees of the recent protests. Reliable sources indicate that approximately 100 protesters are currently held there under the responsibility of the SSF (State Security Forces) This facility, located at the beginning of Piroozi Boulevard (Piroozi 2/2), behind the Anti-Narcotics Department and the Criminal Investigation Department, is not listed in any official registry.
According to Iran HRM sources in Iran, any individual arrested in Mashhad whose name is not registered with official security or police agencies is likely being held at the Soroush detention center.
Multiple accounts reveal that interrogations at Soroush involve severe physical and psychological violence. Reported methods include rear-handcuffing, “body-locking,” and flogging the soles of the feet (falaka). The use of heavy instruments and direct strikes to the face and body have also been reported, often aimed at coercing confessions. Some detainees have suffered fractures, severe bruises, and neurological disorders following interrogations. Interrogations are conducted in specialized rooms while blindfolded, forcing detainees to confess to crimes they insist they did not commit. Pre-written scripts are used for memorization and recording “confessions,” which are primarily used for propaganda in state media.
Failure to comply with the interrogators’ demands results in further beatings after the recording process. This systematic process aims at extracting forced confessions. Detainees have reported experiencing severe anxiety, insomnia, and nervous breakdowns due to psychological pressure. There are also reports regarding the distribution of psychotropic drugs to control the behavior of certain detainees.
The existence of such secret facilities aligns with accounts from families and local sources who report that many detainees have been transferred to unknown locations, remaining in incommunicado detention for days or even weeks. Furthermore, Iran HRM reports that many are held in security wards and “super-max” wings—locations with a long history of torture, psychological pressure, and forced confessions.
Warning from Lawyers
Human rights lawyers have issued numerous warnings regarding the condition of detainees and the threats made against their families to prevent public disclosure.
Marzieh Mohebbi, a lawyer, has warned against the serious risks facing detainees and the exploitation of families’ lack of information. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she addressed the families:
“Dear compatriots, if a family member is arrested, first consult a trusted lawyer. Do not follow the advice of assistant prosecutors, investigators, or agents of various institutions. Publicize the news of the arrest after a few hours. Do not contact ‘Article 48’ lawyers (those approved by the Judiciary) or those introduced by interrogators and Revolutionary Court offices. Do not provide information, do not pay heavy bribes or legal fees, and expose those who demand them.”
She further urged families not to succumb to threats of silence:
“Dear compatriots, publicize the arrest of family members, friends, and even temporary companions in protests. Remember, anonymous and isolated detainees are more exposed to torture and abuse than others. Information creates a margin of safety for the prisoner.”
These warnings come amid reports of detainees being denied phone calls, family visits, and access to independent legal counsel, increasing fears of torture and forced confessions.
Evacuation of Prison Wards for Uprising Detainees
Internal reports from Iran HRM sources indicate that sections of various prisons have been evacuated to accommodate recent detainees:
- Fashafuyeh (Greater Tehran Prison): The ward complex 3 has been fully evacuated for new detainees. Prisoners from ward complexes 2 and 6 are transferred to other wards to provide space for “Uprising” detainees. These transfers have put additional pressure on the long-term prisoners and have caused severe overcrowding in the other wards.
Since January 5, prison guards have been on 24-hour high alert due to fears of prison riots.
- Karaj Central Prison: On January 3 and 4, 2026, by direct order of the Prisons Organization, approximately 500 inmates in Hall 2 were abruptly transferred to other halls to dedicate the space entirely to recent protesters.
- Evin Prison: Reports from the women’s ward indicate an influx of 30 female detainees during the initial days of the uprising and then up to 90 female detainees later, causing severe overcrowding.
List of Some Detained Individuals
- Sonqor (January 5, 2026): 21 individuals identified out of dozens arrested: Mostafa Golzar, Mohsen Kamyab, Mohammad Seifouri, Ebrahim Pishvaei, Morteza Sarhadi, Sepehrdad Sarhadi, Amir Mazhari, Ehsan Seifouri, Mehdi Bagheri, Ahad Saifouri, Mohammad Javad Ostovari, Arman Masoudi, Kiomars Va’ezi, Amir Farhadi, Ms. Bahar Rafiee, Yasin Heshmatiyan, Alireza Abdi, Ali Saifouri, Ms. Fa’ezeh Shamayeli, Ms. Dina Salari, and Ms. Asal Begvand. (Note: Asal Begvand was reportedly wounded during arrest; her whereabouts remain unknown).
Kiumars Va’ezi: Former political prisoner and teacher. He had previously been arrested during the nationwide uprising of 2022.
Fa’ezeh Shamayeli: Arrested by security agents and transferred to an unknown location.
Javad Ostovari: Former wrestling champion of Iran and Asia, and a wrestling coach.
- Yasuj, Gachsaran, and Bahmai: According to reports received by Iran HRM, large numbers of protesters have been arrested, including men (Aria Sabzepour, Iliya Akounian, Ali Ahmadzadeh, Ali-Akbar Ahmadzadeh, Amir Bakhtiari, Amir-Mohammad Bakhtiari, Amir-Hossein Karimipour, Omid Khodarahmi, Ashkan Rasouli, Ahmad Abdollahpour, Abolfazl Khoshnoud, Parsa Akaber, Parsa Akbar, Peyman Azarzadeh, Hossein Haghighi, Hossein Khajeh-Yar, Moslem Parzdar, Me’raj Abbasnejad, Mahan Khoubani, Mehrdad Kamayi, Mikaeil Mansouri, Mani Armaghani-Zadeh, Mohammad-Mehdi Alipour, Farbad Alizadeh, Kiyarash Ansari, Erfan Bazhdan, Yousef Rezaei, Reza Farhadi Sisakht, Ahmad-Reza Khaleghipour) and women and girls (Sara Rahmati, Elahe Hosseinnezhad, Shayan Pormokhber, Samira Karimipour, Mojgan Forouzan, Parichehr Ansari, Mohaddeseh Mohammadi, Shahla Ansarian, Sanaz Davoudi, Anahita Hekmatinia, Zohreh Dezhman, Shohreh Nikeghbal, Aynaz Parvaneh, Farnoush Azar, Shaghayegh Zahedi, Hadis Shibaz, Elham Siavashi, Zahra Darfarin, Razieh Khahesh, Yalda Pezhvani, Ghazal Hamzeh-Amaleh, Zahra Izadinia, Neda Geramimansh, Shima Khorshidian, Parisa Mousavi, Diana Moradian, Mahshid Mousavipour, Mehraneh Mousavipour, Fatemeh Siahpour, Neda Ahmadi)
- Arrests of students in Tehran and Birjand: In recent days, Soha Ilbeigi, a student at the University of Tehran, was arrested in connection with the protests. In addition, Ms. Sheyda Namjou and Ms. Zeinab Eyvani, two students from the University of Birjand, were arrested last night and transferred to the Birjand Intelligence Department’s detention center.
- Ilam (Khomeini Hospital): Security forces raided the hospital to abduct wounded protesters transferred from Malekshahi. Identified abductees so far: Amir Ali Abdian (16 years old), Firouz Faraji, and Mohammad Sadra Mansouri.
- Other Cities: Alireza Paryab (Dehloran), Mohammad Amin Mahmoudian (Sarabaleh), Arman Dadfar (Badreh), Twin brothers Milad and Mithaq Seyed Moradi (Dehloran), and citizens in Amlash, Gilan Province (Mehran Amin Amlashi, Soroush Ghadiri, Rezvan Reyhani).
In reality, listing all the names of those detained in these protests is beyond the scope of this text, but the full extent of the detentions can be understood from this brief summary.
Violation of Human Rights and International Treaties
The recent arrests constitute a systematic violation of fundamental human rights and international treaties to which Iran is a signatory:
- Freedom of Expression and Assembly (Articles 19 & 20 UDHR): Arresting individuals solely for opposing the status quo.
- Prohibition of Torture and Enforced Disappearance (Article 5 UDHR; Articles 7 & 9 ICCPR): Transferring detainees to unofficial centers like “Soroush” constitutes the crime of “Enforced Disappearance” and systematic torture.
- Deprivation of Fair Trial (Article 14 ICCPR): Forcing the use of “Article 48” lawyers and denying access to independent counsel.
- Children’s Rights (Article 37 Convention on the Rights of the Child): Abducting minors under 18 (e.g., Amir Ali Abdian) and holding them in adult conditions.
Call to International Human Rights Bodies and Democratic Governments
Iran Human Rights Monitoring (Iran HRM) calls upon the UN, the Human Rights Council, and democratic governments to:
- Urgent Referral: Refer the file of human rights violations and recent enforced disappearances to the UN Security Council to take deterrent measures.
- Fact-Finding Mission: Dispatch an emergency fact-finding mission to conduct unsupervised visits to Evin, Fashafuyeh and Central Karaj prisons, and particularly secret detention centers to prevent torture and executions.
- Universal Jurisdiction: Identify and prosecute officials of secret detention centers and prison heads involved in torture and forced confessions.
- Warning to the World: Silence in the face of this suppression is a license for another massacre in Iran. It is a global duty to prevent a repeat of the 1988 tragedy.
The world is responsible; anonymous detainees are in immediate danger
