In the ongoing escalation of repression against dissidents and political activists in Iran, Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi, a former political prisoner and survivor from the families of victims of the 1980s executions, was arrested without a judicial warrant at his private residence in Tehran on the morning of Monday, July 28, 2025. He was taken to an undisclosed location. Reports indicate that he has been transferred to the Qom Intelligence Detention Center and is being held in solitary confinement, with no information available about his current condition.
Mr. Banazadeh, 79 years old, suffers from serious health issues, including prostate cancer, heart problems, and a torn knee meniscus. His family has reported having no contact with him and being completely unaware of his situation. Holding someone with such medical conditions in solitary confinement during the summer heat, without access to proper healthcare, constitutes a clear case of cruelty and both physical and psychological torture.
Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi had previously been arrested in 2009 and 2016 for supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and had spent over ten years in Evin and Gohardasht prisons. He was released in July 2021, though he remained under restrictions, including a sentence of exile.
The re-arrest of this elderly political activist—particularly under a media blackout and with his family kept completely in the dark—alongside a new wave of detentions following the ceasefire announcement, highlights the Iranian government’s strategy of targeted arrests and security crackdowns aimed at preventive repression and spreading public fear.
