Soheil Arabi sentenced to five years prison for providing humanitarian assistance during January protests

On 16 August 2026, Branch 26 of Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced human rights defender Soheil Arabi to five years in prison on the charge of “gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against the country’s security.” The only court session was held the week before, on 10 August, when Soheil Arabi presented his defense against these trumped up charges related to national security.

Download the urgent appeal

Soheil Arabi is a human rights defender, blogger and photojournalist, who won the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Award in 2017. On 30 August 2014, he was sentenced to death by Branch 76 of the Criminal Court of Tehran on charges of "insulting the Prophet of Islam" on Facebook. Since his arrest and detention in 2013, Soheil Arabi has become a vocal defender of prisoners’ rights, raising awareness from inside the prison about the unfit conditions that detainees are forced to endure.

On 16 August 2026, Branch 26 of Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced him to five years prison on the charge of “gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against the country’s security.” The charges were brought against him based on reports by the Sarallah Campus of the Iranian Revolutionary Gurad Corpse regarding his social media activities, as well as his support for protesters taking part in the January 2026 protests. Mass killings were documented by human rights organizations during these protests.

Additionally, Branch 26 of Tehran Revolutionary Court forbid Soheil Arabi from engaging in any profession or work related to the offence committed (social media activities) for a period of two years.

On 10 August 2026, in his testimony to the Branch 26 of Tehran Revolutionary Court regarding his involvement with humanitarian support and protection for impacted protesters and their families, the defender wrote:

“I also wrote in [my Defense resolution] that our main goal with the aid was to ensure that the families, and especially the children of prisoners, victims, and martyrs, would be less affected. Most of the aid was for educational, medical, and food expenses. And of course, we didn't just help political prisoners and protesters; in our list of over two hundred families we support, more than 100 are from non-political backgrounds and have no history of arrest.”

Soheil Arabi was arbitrarily arrested after publishing photos of conflict-affected areas in Tehran on social media, and was detained from 10 March to 18 May 2026 in Qezel Hesar Prison. After his release, Soheil Arabi reported that on 19 April, after complaining about being denied open-air breaks and calls with family and lawyer, he was subjected to physical assaults and torture. He was transferred to Madani Hospital while he was unconscious and underwent medical interventions for testicular trauma and nasal fracture on 20 April.

Front Line Defenders believes the conviction and sentencing of human rights defender Soheil Arabi to be directly linked to his legitimate and peaceful human rights activities, including his work to provide humanitarian assistance and social media advocacy for protesters and families impacted by the violent crackdown on protesters in January 2026. Front Line Defenders is alarmed by the imminent risk of imprisonment of Soheil Arabi.

Front Line Defenders is concerned by the intensified criminalization and targeting of human rights defenders providing humanitarian support for vulnerable groups of civilians, including protesters, in Iran in order to silence them; as well as by measures to prevent their access to employment, thus impacting their livelihoods.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Iran to:

1. Drop the charges and sentences against human rights defender Soheil Arabi;
2. Launch an independent investigation into allegations of torture against Soheil Arabi while under detention in Qezel Hesar prison in the period between February and May 2026, with the view of publishing the results and bringing those responsible accountable;
3. End all forms of judicial harassment against Soheil Arabi, lift restrictions on his access to employment and ensure that he can carry out his legitimate human rights activities without restrictions or fear of reprisals;
4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Iran are able to carry out their legitimate work without fear of retaliation and free of all restrictions.