Golaleh Vatandoust, a Kurdish women’s rights activist and lawyer from Marivan, Kurdistan Province, has repeatedly been summoned and interrogated by security bodies in recent years over her advocacy for women’s rights and her legal representation of political prisoners.
Arrest
Vatandoust was arrested by Ministry of Intelligence forces in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, on 3 October 2022 during the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising.
She was temporarily released on 19 October 2022 on bail of 10 billion rials.
During her detention, she was denied family visits and access to legal representation.
Judicial Process
On 12 September 2023, Vatandoust stood trial before Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, presided over by Judge Saeidi, on charges of “propaganda against the state on cyberspace”, “formation, management, or membership of a group or organisation with the intent to disrupt national security” and “membership in anti-state groups”.
She was subsequently notified that she had been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on the charge of “formation, management, or membership of a group or organisation with the intent to disrupt national security”.
Current Status
In late April 2026, Vatandoust was arrested after being summoned to the Enforcement of Judgements Office of the Sanandaj Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office and was transferred to Sanandaj Women’s Prison to begin serving her prison sentence.
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).
2. Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code: “Anyone who engages in propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or in favour of groups and organisations opposing the state, in any manner, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of three months to one year.”
3. Article 498 of the Islamic Penal Code: “Anyone who, under any pretext or ideology, forms or runs a group, association, or an entity of more than two people, either inside or outside the country, under any name or title, with the aim of disrupting national security, and is not considered a ‘mohareb’ (enemy of God), shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of two to ten years.”
4. Article 499 of the Islamic Penal Code: “Anyone who joins one of the groups, associations, or branches of the associations mentioned in Article 498 shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of three months to five years, unless it is proven that they were unaware of the group’s objectives.”
