Baran Saedi is a Kurdish civil rights activist from Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, who was one of the detainees of the anti-government Women, Life, Freedom uprising.
Arrest
Saedi was arrested during a raid by Ministry of Intelligence forces on her home in Sanandaj on 10 March 2025.
Defendant’s Rights
She was arrested without a warrant and has since been denied family visits and access to legal representation.
Despite her family’s repeated attempts to obtain information about her fate, security and judicial authorities have refused to provide any clarification regarding her situation.
Current Status
Saedi is being held in the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province.
Notes:
1. Women, Life, Freedom Uprising: Jina Amini (Mahsa Amini), a 21-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, was arrested on a street in Tehran on 13 September 2022 by the morality police because of the way she was dressed. Shortly after her arrest, she was transferred to Kasra Hospital in Tehran with head injuries and symptoms of brain death, and passed away three days later on 16 September 2022. The government’s killing of Jina sparked unprecedented anti-government protests, which began with a large turnout at her funeral at Aichi Cemetery in Saqqez and quickly spread to many cities across Iran. These widespread protests against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which lasted for several months, resulted in at least 527 protesters being killed and thousands injured and arrested. The protests are known for their central slogan of “Women, Life, Freedom” (Kurdish: Jin, Jiyan, Azadi).
