Streets Blocked, Crowd Prevents Arrest of Slain Lawyer’s Brother

Center for Human Rights in Iran

December 12, 2025—On Friday, December 12, 2025, Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi and other prominent human rights activists were violently arrested and detained by Islamic Republic security forces at the seventh-day memorial ceremony for Khosro Alikordi, the human rights lawyer whose highly suspicious death on December 8, 2025 had prompted calls by lawyers and activists across Iran for an independent investigation into his death.

At the time of this report, the arrests of Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Gholian, Pouran Nazemi, Noura Haghi, Ali Adinezadeh, and Hassan Bagherinia have been independently confirmed by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) from sources inside Iran who attended the ceremony.

The Narges Foundation has also confirmed the arrests of Hasti Amiri, and Aliyeh Motalebzadeh, and stated that reports indicated Asadollah Fakhimi, Akbar Amini, and Abolfazl Abri were detained as well.

“The international community must demand the immediate release of all those detained at Khosro Alikordi’s memorial. What we witnessed today is the Islamic Republic’s latest assault on the most basic human freedoms—where even mourning a slain lawyer becomes a punishable act,” said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI executive director.

“When peaceful citizens cannot mourn without being beaten and dragged away, it reveals a government terrified of truth and accountability. It also reveals the extraordinary bravery of Iranians who refuse to surrender their dignity,” said Ghaemi.

A source who was present at the memorial service told CHRI “The arrests of Narges Mohammadi and Sepideh Gholian were carried out with severe violence. In addition to these activists, several other attendees were also arrested by security forces.”

The same eyewitness added: “Security forces had blocked the streets surrounding the mosque hours in advance, and as a result, a large number of people were unable to reach the mosque. Still, many people gathered, and this led to a crowd forming on a street near the mosque. Ms. Mohammadi gave a brief speech there, and the arrests took place in that very spot.”

A source told HRANA: “The agents also attempted to arrest Javad Alikordi, the brother of Khosrow Alikordi, but the people present at the ceremony prevented it. The streets around Ghadir Mosque were blocked, and security forces were stopping people from entering the area.”

Earlier, a knowledgeable source had told CHRI that “Some civil and political activists who had traveled to Mashhad in recent days to visit Mr. Alikordi’s family were approached by security agents upon arrival at the airport and were told that they must not give speeches at Mr. Alikordi’s ceremony.”

Center for Human Rights in Iran

December 11, 2025 — A group of 81 lawyers, all inside Iran, have signed a public statement demanding full transparency regarding the suspicious death of Mashhad-based human rights lawyer Dr. Khosro Alikordi, whose body was discovered in his office on December 8, 2025.

Provincial officials in Razavi Khorasan immediately attributed his death to a “heart attack,” citing the Forensic Medicine Organization, even as reports emerged of a tight security presence around the scene.

Alikordi was a prominent figure among Iran’s community of human rights defenders. Over the past several years, he had been repeatedly arrested, harassed, and threatened by security and judicial forces. His record included the defense of dozens of detained protesters and political defendants—among them the family of Abolfazl Adinezadeh, a teenager killed during the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, and prominent activist Fatemeh Sepehri.

On December 9, 2025, 81 lawyers from across Iran issued a statement, reprinted in full below, demanding clarity on the circumstances of Alikordi’s death and pledging support to his family during what they called a necessary “truth-seeking process.”

One of the lawyers who signed the statement told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI):

“One of the important reasons for issuing this statement and gathering so many signatures from lawyers inside Iran was that we wanted to create a safe environment for Mr. Alikordi’s family.

“Another important point was to demonstrate this solidarity and support to the security authorities and officials, which is significant alongside our support and accompaniment of Mr. Alikordi’s family.”

A source familiar with the situation in Mashhad told CHRI:

“Some civil and political activists who traveled to Mashhad in recent days to meet with Mr. Alikordi’s family were spoken to by security agents upon their arrival at the airport and told that they must not give speeches at Mr. Alikordi’s ceremony.”

“Lawyers in the Islamic Republic who try to defend basic legal and human rights face relentless harassment, arrest, and imprisonment by the state; in this context, it is critical that there be a thorough investigation into Khosro Alikordi’s death,” said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI executive director.

“Lawyers are the last line of defense in Iran for the thousands of individuals unlawfully prosecuted, imprisoned, and even executed—their safety and ability to function independently must be defended,” Ghaemi said.

CHRI urges the international community, including the UN Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights defenders, on the independence of lawyers and judges, on peaceful assembly and association, on freedom of expression, and on Iran, as well as the International Bar Association’s (IBA) Human Rights Law Committee, to:

• Closely monitor this case and demand a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation into Khosro Alikordi’s death;
• Demand that the Iranian authorities refrain from any judicial harassment or other punitive measures against Alikordi’s brother, the lawyer and academic Javad Alikordi, or any other member of Alikordi’s family;
• Urge the authorities to refrain from any unlawful restrictions on Alikordi’s memorial services;
• Call upon the authorities to ensure all documents, records, and medical or judicial reports related to Alikordi’s death be provided to his family and independent lawyers.

Following Khosro Alikordi’s burial in Sabzevar, Alikordi’s brother, the lawyer and academic Javad Alikordi, revealed that he had been summoned by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court via phone on December 10, 2025.

In a public message, he described the summons as “an honor,” calling it evidence of his commitment to “truth, justice, and human responsibility.” He warned that if “silence is ever imposed” on him as well, the public must not forget the fate of the two brothers and should continue pressing for the truth.

Javad Alikordi himself was released from Vakilabad Prison in August 2025 under electronic monitoring. Earlier that year, in March 2025, he had been detained after an appeals court reinstated a previously suspended sentence. He had been convicted in December 2024 of “propaganda against the regime,” receiving a fine and two additional bans: a travel ban and a prohibition on online activity—penalties that triggered the enforcement of his suspended sentence.

Read the full text of the statement by the 81 lawyers below.

Statement of Condolences, Sympathy, and Support for the Legal Rights of the Alikordi Family by a Large Group of the Country’s Lawyers

In the name of God

With utmost sorrow and grief, we express our condolences on the untimely loss of Dr. Khosro Alikordi to his esteemed family, colleagues, and all who knew and admired him.

The passing of this honorable lawyer is a painful and irreparable loss for the country’s legal community, and his memory will forever remain alive.

Alongside this profound grief, it is expected that the incident concerning his death be examined with precision and a fully technical and expert approach.

It is appropriate that all documents and relevant information be provided to Dr. Alikordi’s respected family as soon as possible so that all aspects of the matter may be clarified with complete transparency and without any ambiguity or omission, bringing solace to the grieving hearts of his family and colleagues.

We, as members of the country’s legal community, declare our readiness to accompany and support the Alikordi family in the process of truth-finding and safeguarding their rights.

Signatories, in alphabetical order >>>

WANA

The art of mirror-work in Iranian architecture has been officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The decision was adopted during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in New Delhi, India. The element was registered under its official title: “Ayeneh-Kari, the art of mirror-work in Persian architecture.”

With this inscription, the number of Iran’s registered intangible cultural heritage elements has risen to 27. This marks the first time an element specifically linked to Persian architecture has been included in UNESCO’s intangible heritage records, placing “Persian Architecture” as a recognized category within UNESCO’s documentation.

Iran submitted the nomination file in April 2024. The dossier—prepared and compiled by Shahab Nikman—received praise from UNESCO’s evaluation body for its high quality, leading to its approval by the Intergovernmental Committee.

As part of this year’s official program, Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, in cooperation with the Mana Naghsh Heritage Institute (which prepared the dossier), organized an exhibition on the global registration of mirror-work in Persian architecture.

The initiative, held in partnership with UNESCO, was regarded as a notable and rare form of collaboration for an intergovernmental meeting.

According to the nomination file, Ayeneh-Kari is a handcrafted decorative art applied to architectural surfaces such as ceilings, walls, domes, columns, and panels. It involves cutting and shaping mirrors into geometric or organic patterns and fixing them onto surfaces to create designs that reflect light and illuminate the space.

The craft integrates multiple skills, including design, mirror-cutting, plasterwork, painting, and mosaic techniques. In traditional communities, mirrors and water symbolize purity and clarity, and mirror-work reflects the cultural value placed on light and illumination.

The craft is transmitted both informally—through apprenticeships and workshops—and formally through universities, NGOs, and educational institutions. Often, Ayeneh-Kari is a family profession passed down through generations from grandfathers, fathers, and uncles to younger family members.

Master mirror-workers hold high social status, and the art is regarded as both luxurious and spiritual. It decorates a wide range of traditional and contemporary spaces, from sacred shrines and religious buildings to royal palaces and private residences. Today, the practice remains vital in the restoration of historic sites and in modern architectural design >>>

Iran International

Mixmag, a leading electronic music magazine, has named Iranian DJ, producer and composer Nesa Azadikhah among its top DJs for 2025, noting her expanding role in electronic music and her support for Iranian artists.

The magazine said Azadikhah has become a standout figure through her work on IDM and breaks-focused Makhunik Records and Apranik Records, which she co-founded with artist AIDA. It said she has released music that supports Iranian musicians and raises money for causes including women prisoners whose freedom of speech is restricted.

Mixmag said Azadikhah organizes events in Tehran, curates artists through her platform Deep House Tehran and continues to release a steady flow of productions.

The magazine described her as one of the hardest working figures in Iran’s electronic music scene as she gains recognition abroad.

Crackdown widens on women artists in Iran

The attention for Azadikhah comes as Iranian authorities increase pressure on women in music and public performance.

Iran’s cyber police, known as FATA, blocked the Instagram accounts of two female singers in recent days as part of a wider effort to limit women’s public roles in music and online platforms.

Authorities shut down the Instagram page of singer Niousha Mofidi after she performed solo at a concert by Iranian pop singer Hamid Hami. Officials said the page was removed for producing criminal content. Her posts, including videos of her singing, were deleted.

The Instagram account of rapper Evi, which had nearly 26,000 followers, was also taken offline after security agencies told her to delete the page. She said publicly she would not do so.

Long-standing restrictions on women vocalists

Women in Iran have been barred from singing in front of men since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, based on state-backed religious interpretations. Artists and activists say restrictions have tightened in recent months, especially for women who oppose compulsory hijab rules.

In April, more than 160 artists, civil activists and organizations, including groups inside Iran, condemned what they described as a systematic effort to quiet female singers.

26cm x 20cm. [314] pages, colour illustrations. Coptic binding, no obi. Text is bilingual, English and Italian.

Photobook showing the intimate world of private living rooms in Iranian homes. “The living room is a place where you can feel free, a space where you are not subjected to perennial observation or the control of others and are beyond judgement: a place where you are free to be yourself and not obliged to act out a role imposed on you by other people and society.” (from preface). Photographs by Mohammad Mahdi Amya, Majid Farahani, Saina Golzar, Sanaz Hajikhani, Hamed Ilkhan, Ali Kaveh, Mashid Mahboubifar, Mehdi Moradpour, Sahar Pishsaraeian, Negar Sadehvandi, Hashem Shakeri, Sina Shiri, Morteza Soorani, Nazanin Tabatabaei Yazdi, and Ali Tajik. Edited by Enrico Bossan.

Iran International

Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old prominent lawyer for jailed protesters and a former political prisoner, was found dead under unclear circumstances, prompting some attorneys and activists to suggest possible Islamic Republic involvement.

Alikordi died of cardiac arrest on Friday night in his office in Mashhad, northeastern Iran, according to a report on Saturday by Iranian lawyers news agency (Vokala Press).

His body was transferred to the forensic institute for determination of “the main cause of cardiac arrest,” while police restricted entry to and from the office, according to media reports.

However, fellow lawyer Marzieh Mohebbi wrote on X that Alikordi died from “a blow to the head”, according to what she called "trusted contacts".

Security officers, she said, removed cameras from the area and that access to his family had become impossible.

Mohebbi said the body was discovered inside his office, adding that security forces had taken over the site.

The US-based civil-society group Tavaana relayed a similar account, quoting a witness who said blood was flowing from his mouth when he was found. Another source cited by the group said his skull appeared fractured.

Human rights activist Javad Tavaf also described blood coming from the lawyer’s mouth and nose, saying he had suffered a severe head injury.

Longstanding pressure on a prominent defender

Alikordi, originally from Sabzevar and living in Mashhad, had represented political detainee Fatemeh Sepehri, several people arrested during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests, and bereaved families including that of Abolfazl Adinezadeh, a teenager killed during protests.

“We find his death highly suspicious and do not believe he died of a heart attack," Abolfazl's sister Marziyeh said in an Instagram post about their lawyer's death.

Some colleagues said he had recently warned clients of new “case building” against him and other activists, and that the intelligence ministry “intended physical elimination.”

Lawyer Babak Paknia posted an image of a conversation with Alikordi in which he said a new case had been filed against him and that authorities “did not leave him alone until the very last moment.”

According to that exchange, Alikordi had been sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to one year in prison, a two-year ban from practicing law and two years of internal exile for joining the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, on charges of “propaganda against the state.”

He had faced previous arrests and in early 2024 received another set of sentences including prison time, exile, travel bans and a prohibition on legal practice.

Tributes evoke a pattern of pressure

Former political prisoner Hossein Ronaghi said the lawyer resisted “countless pressures and threats,” adding that many deaths labeled “natural” in recent years were in fact the result of sustained coercion.

“Recent suspicious deaths testify to the disorder governing our country,” he wrote.

Dozens of users on social media went further, directly attributing the death to the Islamic Republic and calling it a “state killing.”

The circumstances remain under official investigation, though the accounts circulating among lawyers and activists have intensified scrutiny of his death and revived warnings over the risks faced by attorneys defending political cases.

The New Region

Iranian authorities have filed a lawsuit against organizers of a marathon in Kish island, off the southern coast, after images showed women participating without hijab, the judiciary announced Friday.

“Despite previous warnings regarding the need to comply with the country's current laws and regulations, as well as religious, customary, and professional principles in holding this competition, the relevant officials did not pay due attention to these warnings, and the manner in which the event was held was in a way that violated public decency,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online, quoted the local prosecutor as saying.

The marathon saw over 5,000 participants, according to local media.

The lawsuit comes as Iranian lawmakers earlier this week accused the judiciary of failing to uphold the hijab law, pushing for tougher regulations.

The judiciary said lawsuits were filed against the event’s organizers and that “treatment of violators must be decisive, deterrent, and without leniency. This treatment will include all officials involved in holding the competition, including the government sector and private sector agents.”

“The judicial system supports healthy sports and social activities, but will deal with negligence or disregard for legal and religious regulations in accordance with regulations,” it added.

Local conservative media outlets also condemned the marathon, deeming it disrespectful to Islamic norms.

Following the 1979 revolution, the newly-proclaimed Islamic Republic declared wearing of the hijab compulsory for women. Those who fail to observe the hijab policy risk facing arrest or financial penalties.

Adherence to the hijab law became sporadic after the September 2022 protests that erupted in the wake of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini’s death. Amini, a young Kurdish woman from Saqqez, was arrested for allegedly wearing a lax hijab, and died in police custody hours later.

Her death sparked Iran’s largest protest movement in Iran in more than four decades. Iranian authorities heavily cracked down on the demonstrations with over 500 people killed and tens of thousands others arrested during the nationwide movement.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has refused to ratify a bill passed by the parliament in 2023 that would have imposed harsher penalties for women who do not observe the country’s strict dress code.

“I believe in hijab; but you cannot force women to wear the chador… The issue of hijab must be resolved through cultural education; mosques should promote cultural education. The issue of hijab must be resolved with logic, not with conflict,” Iranian semi-official Mehr News quoted Pezeshkian as saying in August.

Lubna Nissani

TESAA WORLD

In a new escalation of cyber tensions between Washington and Tehran, the U.S. State Department announced a financial reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of two Iranians accused by the United States of carrying out cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure both domestically and abroad.

The reward, part of the "Rewards for Justice" program, included photos of Fatemeh Sadeghian Kashi and Mohammad Bagher Shirin Kar, who are attributed to the "Martyr Shushtari" group linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's intelligence service. The U.S. State Department clarified that the two, "under the direction of a foreign government and in violation of computer fraud and abuse laws," were involved in a campaign of cyber attacks against vital sectors including media, maritime transport, energy, financial services, and communications in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

The State Department noted that the "Martyr Shushtari" group had previously operated under multiple names, including: Arya Sepehr Ayandeh Sazan, Ayandeh Sazan Sepehr Arya, Ayman Net Basargad, Elyant Gaster, and Net Bigard Samavat, confirming that it is an electronic unit under the cyber command of the Revolutionary Guard.

This step is considered part of the ongoing cyber shadow war between the United States and Iran for over a decade, which began in 2010 with the discovery of the Stuxnet virus and continued with exchanges of hacking operations targeting government institutions, oil and energy companies, and sensitive infrastructure. Washington accuses Tehran of cyber attacks on American banks, water facilities, and transportation and energy companies, while Iran asserts that its nuclear and industrial facilities have faced similar attacks, most notably the attack on the Natanz facility in 2021.

This announcement comes at a time when American concerns are rising over the expansion of Iran's cyber capabilities and its increasing targeting of critical U.S. and allied infrastructure.

Maryam Sinaiee

Iran International

An Iranian singer who won a Grammy for a ballad which became the unofficial song for a scotched national uprising in 2022 has incurred fury for announcing the release of an album which received an official state license.

Earlier this week, he revealed that digital and physical pre-orders for his debut record, Real, were open on his website—a surprise to many after he had recently complained of new restrictions, including being barred from gyms and concerts.

Hajipour gained international recognition in 2022 with Baraye, the song widely associated with Iran’s Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement and winner of the Grammy for Best Song for Social Change.

His arrest soon after the song went viral, and the pressure that followed, made him one of the most visible cultural figures linked to the unrest, which authorities quashed with deadly force.

The approval of his album by Iran’s culture ministry quickly drew criticism from dissidents who argue that official licenses remain a privilege often withheld as punishment for dissent.

‘Privilege is privilege’

“You’re not the people’s Shervin,” wrote Sheldon, a dissident account with nearly 250,000 followers. “You’re a regime-made figure. If you were anything else, you’d have been eliminated like thousands of artists of this homeland.”

Others framed the license as a symbol of privilege in a politicized system. “Privilege is privilege,” wrote X user Arash Aalam, “whether it’s tiered internet access or permission to distribute an album when others are deprived of such a natural right.”

Hajipour hit back on social media.

“I finally managed to release my album after three years of being banned from working and unemployment,” he wrote. “How does that contradict the collective interests of our people? I don’t want to leave Iran. I just want to work … May I die if I ever betrayed anyone.”

Hajipour has released unlicensed songs in the past couple of years, including Ashghal (“Trash”), which became one of the most-watched Persian music videos of the year with nearly 30 million views in the first 24 hours.

‘Lynching from afar’

The artist’s popularity was apparent in many sympathetic posts on social media.

“I’m angry that Shervin applied for a permit, but I won’t forget his song reached everyone’s ears and created such remarkable emotional unity during the protests,” wrote Mahsa on X, vowing not to let the state “destroy that unity.”

Some had harsher views about his critics, pointing fingers at dissidents outside Iran. “This is not criticism, it’s lynching by the mob,” wrote Tehran-based journalist Hossein Yazdi on X.

“Dirty and cowardly lynching from behind keyboards with fake accounts, by the very ones who sip hundred-dollar coffee in the best places in the world while prescribing do's and don't's to a young artist inside Iran who was brave enough to speak of the people's pain.”

Against permits

The dispute comes amid a broader shift in Iran’s cultural sphere.

Since the widespread protests of 2022, many artists have chosen to work without permission, refusing to submit their creations for government vetting.

Filmmakers have produced entire features inside the country without permits—often defying hijab mandate and other rules—and sent them directly to international festivals.

Musicians, visual artists and writers have similarly turned to unlicensed work, forming a parallel creative economy outside the state’s control.

Akhtar Makoii

The Telegraph

The police cars arrived at the park in Tehran just as Arshia and his friends hit their rhythm. [videos here]

He and 13 other teenagers, boys and girls together, had been rapping and dancing.

They scattered before the police officers opened their car doors.

“We were in a park rapping with a group of friends when several police cars arrived. They pulled over, and we ran,” Arshia, 19, said from Tehran, laughing at the memory.

Then he said something that captures why the Islamic Republic faces its most fundamental challenge from within since the 1979 revolution.

“We knew the police would come for us, and that is the fun part of it. We kind of want them to come. Running from them is fun.”

Police caught him last year when he was not “lucky”. They called his father. He went home. The next weekend, he was back in the park.

Across Iran, Generation Z is defying the Islamic Republic in ways the regime has not confronted in its 46-year history.

Armed with smartphones and connected to a world beyond state television, young Iranians are rejecting the rules that governed their parents’ lives – from the mandatory hijab and restrictions on dancing, dating and music.

Unlike their parents, who grew up during the Iran-Iraq war and the revolution’s early repression, Gen Z has always had access to information from outside Iran’s borders. They watch what teenagers wear in Seoul, follow make-up trends from Los Angeles and stream music from around the world.

And they are refusing to accept that their lives should be governed by rules from 1979.

That difference is everywhere. In parks, where teenagers dance to rap music criticising the execution of prisoners. In apartments, where unmarried couples live together. On Instagram, where young women post videos without a hijab. On streets, where girls remove their headscarves and walk past the morality police.

“These children are remarkably different and worthy of study, often disregarding rules they view as unfair,” a high-school teacher in Tehran said.

“Unlike our generation, which was often frustrated by such laws but eventually conformed, they actively ignore them.”

Such defiance has consequences in Iran. And the Islamic Republic is cracking down, arresting young people and taking them to police stations.

Rapper Abbas Daghagheleh knew what could happen. Other rappers had been arrested. Some had been tortured.

He kept writing songs anyway.

Known to fans as Rashash, the 22-year-old Iranian Arab rapper worked in construction in Tehran by day and made music by night.

Despite living in a region that generates much of Iran’s oil wealth, Arab communities face high unemployment, environmental degradation, and systemic discrimination.

His songs spoke of discrimination against Iran’s Arab minority, of poverty in Khuzestan province, and of young activists who disappeared.

In many of his songs, he says that, as a child, he was forced to quit school and clean education establishments instead of sitting at a study desk.

On Oct 10, security forces raided his home. They confiscated his phone and recording equipment before taking him away.

Rashash’s arrest came days after he posted Instagram stories about six Arab political prisoners executed in Ahvaz.

He is among at least a dozen Gen Z protest rappers arrested in recent months as authorities target artists who criticise the government through music.

The crackdown has been systematic. State media recently broadcast forced confession videos of three Tehran rappers.

Danial Farrokhi (known as Meshki, which means black in Persian), Ardalan, and Sajjad Shahi appeared on screen after their arrests.

Tehran security police claimed they arrested the trio for “publishing unconventional content and controversial works on social media”.

Human rights sources say Mr Farrokhi had produced songs critical of Iranian military actions, including during a 12-day war with Israel >>>