On December 12, 2025, freelance journalist and activist Sepideh Gholian was arrested by the Iranian security forces during a memorial for dissident human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
Gholian, who writes for online and print publications, including Andisheh Nou and the syndicate media outlet of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers, was detained alongside several other activists, including Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate; Alieh Motalebzadeh, a journalist and human rights activist; Hasti Amiri, a student activist and columnist; and Pouran Nazemi, a human rights activist.
Sources close to Gholian, who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said she was transferred to a detention center operated by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence in Mashhad, the capital of the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province. Authorities cited Gholian’s media activities and reporting and brought anti-state charges against her. The sources told CPJ she was held in poor conditions, in a small cell with other detainees.
She was convicted by Branch 1 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court on charges including “assembly and collusion against national security” and “propaganda against the state.” The verdict was issued in April 2026 and included six months of enforceable imprisonment and an additional five-year suspended sentence.
Iran’s nationwide internet blackout, imposed since January 8, has prevented contact with the families of detainees and limited access to updated information.
Gholian was released from Vakilabad prison in Mashhad on May 30, 2026, after serving a six-months sentence on anti-state and security charges. Shortly after her release, Gholian posted a photograph on Instagram showing her visit to Khosrow Alikordi’s grave.
Gholian has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times because of her journalism and activism. Prior to the last one, her most recent detention was linked to her reporting and public statements on human rights abuses in Iran, a source close to the journalist told CPJ. She was released on June 11, 2025, after spending more than 800 days in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
According to reports, on the same day as her most recent arrest, security forces also raided the Gholian family home in the southwestern city of Dezful, confiscating personal belongings and the mobile phone of Sepideh’s brother, Mehdi Gholian. He was later summoned and interrogated by security authorities.
CPJ emailed Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York for comment but received no response.