Names of 130 More Detainees from the Nationwide Protests; Expansion of Widespread Arrests Among Students and University Students

Continuation of the Wave of Detainees from Nationwide Protests in Various Cities; Ambiguity in Statistics, Continued Repression and Increasing Pressure on the Young Generation

Iran Human Rights Society, Wednesday, 18 February 2026 – Simultaneously with the continuation of the repression of the nationwide protests, a new wave of detainees among students, university students and citizens in various cities has been reported. Despite the announcement of the release of some individuals, the exact statistics of the detainees remain unclear and official authorities refrain from providing transparent figures.

Ambiguity in Statistics of Detained Students

The government spokesperson, in response to reports about the detention of students during the nationwide protests, claimed that the rights of individuals under 18 years of age are respected in accordance with the law. He acknowledged that the repression of the nationwide protests has caused psychological damage to students and their families. He announced the establishment of crisis management hotlines and the dispatch of psychological teams to schools. Nevertheless, in response to the question about the exact number of detained students, no statistics were provided. It was also not specified how many of the detainees have been released and how many are still in detention. Regarding the charge of “leadership” against some students, no clear answer was given. This ambiguity has increased concerns about the situation of detainees under 18 years of age.

High Share of Detainees Under 20 Years Old

A member of the Parliament’s Education Commission announced that approximately 28 percent of the detainees are in the age group under 20 years. However, he claimed ignorance regarding the statistics of those killed under 20 years. This member of parliament claimed that none of the students were detained in the school or university environment. He said that the vast majority of the detainees have been released and only a small number are still in detention. Nevertheless, no details were provided about the place of detention of the detainees or their legal status. Ambiguity in official statistics, while teenage detainees constitute a significant portion of the nationwide protest cases, has added to the concerns of families.

The names of 130 of the detainees are listed below:

Arak: Mehdi Momani, Esfarayen: Mohammad Azari, Oshnavieh: Ribin Moloudi, Isfahan: Ahmadreza Behzadi, Amir Lali, Mehdi Davari, Mobina Ashouri, Anzali: Saeed Hajibabaei, Amin Shirzadeh, Jasem Vishgahi, Ahvaz: Emad Hamidi, Izeh: Maryam Babajani, Nemat Heydari, Ilam: Soha Masoudi, Sedef Ghasemi, Donya Sadeghi, Hajar Khaledi, Fatemeh Pariyoushi, Aida Aramesh, Pouya Norouzi, Zeinab Tahmaseb, Abdanan: Ali Nazarzadeh, Zahra Aghaie, Azadshahr: Abbas Niv (Bajizehi), Bojnurd: Fardin Sideh, Amir Mohammad Sarfaraz, Borujerd: Abolfazl Zandi, Bushehr: Abbas Saghafi, Bukan: Abdolrahman Hosseinpour, Mousa Dadyar, Hamzeh Dadyar, Birjand: Erfan Arabi, Tehran: Hossein Taj, Bita Rahimi, Aryan Hosseini, Mehran Khani, Attila Sultanpour, Danial Hashemi, Amir Jafari, Mohammad Rahimi, Siavash Haddadi, Iman Nobakhti, Sohrab Pournazari, Kian Qasrbeigi, Arman Maroufi, Tabriz: Danial Arshadimanesh, Mohammad Asadi, Ali Parvin, Reza Mohammadi, Sina Yousefi, Piranshahr: Ali Shomaili, Jiroft: Teymour Salari, Khoshkbijar: Soroush Safari, Khomeinishahr: Sattar Zarei, Dehdasht: Mojtaba Esmaeili, Shayan Esmaeili, Rasht: Mostafa Amarji, Hossein Khorsandi, Zahedan: Saeed Shahbakhsh, Samin Shahbakhsh, Vahid Shahbakhsh, Zanjan: Rouzbeh Asadi, Sabzevar: Hamid Roudsarabi, Hossein Sedidi, Aliakbar Rezaei, Mehdi Sedidi, Navid Safa, Hadi Zarghani, Saravan: Mehdi Gomshadzehi, Yasin Mohammadi, Saeed Hosseinbar, Sarvestan: Nazanin (family name unknown), Sanandaj: Anvar Choupani, Sirvan: Malek Khalafi, Shahrekord: Pedram Ahmadi, Shiraz: Hadi Morsali, Yashar (family name unknown), Hadi Sharifzadeh, Shirvan: Milad Ebrahimzadeh, Tarem: Abolfazl Dokht, Fariman: Fatemeh Barghdar, Fooladshahr: Shayan Abolian Norouzi, Qaemshahr: Mohammad Mohammadi, Qarchak Varamin: Arya Edvari, Ehsan Hosseinpour, Qouchan: Yashar Qadiri, Kazeroon: Maryam Deris, Kashan: Mehdi Asgharzadeh, Behboud Taheri, Kamyaran: Ribvar Marabi, Karaj: Fatemeh Golmohammadi, Davoud Abbasi, Ali Moazami, Melika Kakavandi, Sara Kakavandi, Kerman: Pouyan Gholami, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad: Sina Karimifard, Kahnuj: Mohammad Saeed Ghasemi, Gorgan: Masoud Liyaqi, Reza Jafari, Golestan: Morteza Yavari, Gonabad: Habib Adabi, Gonbad-e Kavus: Iltay Akhoundi, Gilanegharb: Mohammad Hossein Fattahi, Langaroud: Alireza Mirkhorsandi, Sajjad Rafieipour, Mehdi Haghjoo, Neyshabur: Armin Sharifian, Mehran Arefpour, Amir Hossein Darabi, Mashhad: Rasoul Rezaei, Masoud Allahi, Hamed Hosseini, Ali Gholami-Khesht, Arya Edavi, Mohammad Khatib Esmaeilzehi, Miandoab: Behzad Abdi, Jamal Abdollahi, Najafabad: Taha Kazemirad

Unknown: Zahra Turkomani, Hassan Chamani, Hajar Rahimi, Sarina Rezaei, Naser Yadyar, Mousa Yadyar, Hamzeh Yadyar, Zahra Irandoust

Status of Detained University Students

The Deputy Minister of Science announced that a number of detained students have been released, but some others are still in detention. He emphasized that it is not possible to announce exact statistics.

The Minister of Science also confirmed that the status of students who were absent from exams due to detention is under review. He said that the possibility of holding re-exams will be provided for these individuals. However, he clarified that except for those whose crime “has been proven,” other students will be released. These statements are made while detained university students constitute an important part of the wave of repression following the nationwide protests and official statistics on their exact number have still not been published.

Detainees in Counties and Publication of Confessions

Official media reported the detention of a citizen in Robat Karim and several protesters in Dehdasht. In some cases, police authorities claimed that the detained individuals set fire to vehicles during the nationwide protests.

However, the reports did not mention the identity of the detainees and their place of detention. At the same time, a video of forced confessions of five people has been published whose recording conditions are unclear. The Intelligence Organization of the IRGC in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad claimed that the detained individuals were members of an armed team. Meanwhile, the claims made remain without the publication of independent evidence. In Semnan province as well, the

police commander announced the detention of several protesters as “leaders.” He claimed the discovery of cold and hot weapons, but the identity details of the detainees were not announced.

Continuation of Widespread Detentions in the Continuation of Repression of Nationwide Protests

The new wave of detainees in various cities shows that these widespread detentions are the continuation of the trend of repression of nationwide protests. Simultaneously with the decrease in street gatherings, security pressure on citizens, students and university students has increased. Reports indicate that many detainees are in detention without official notification and without access to clear legal information. The lack of transparency in announcing the number of detainees

and their place of detention has created a widespread atmosphere of concern. The broadcast of television confessions and the raising of serious charges is part of the process that is being pursued simultaneously with the detainees of the nationwide protests. This trend is evaluated by observers as the continuation of the policy of creating deterrence through security pressure.

Human Rights Violations in the Process of Detaining Protesters of Nationwide Protests

In the process of detainees of nationwide protests, numerous cases of violation of fundamental rights have been observed.

Violation of the right to liberty and personal security – Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Widespread detention without transparent announcement of reasons and place of detention.

Violation of children’s rights – Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Detention of individuals under 18 years without transparency about detention conditions.
Violation of the right to fair trial – Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Publication of confessions without information about the conditions of obtaining them.
Violation of the right to access to information – Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Failure to announce statistics and details about detainees.
Violation of the principle of presumption of innocence – Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Raising charges in the media before transparent and independent proceedings.

The continuation of detainees in various cities and the focus on the young generation indicates that widespread detentions have become part of the policy of controlling nationwide protests. While official authorities speak of compliance with the law, the lack of transparent statistics and the continuation of detentions present a different picture of the situation of the detainees.

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