In a continued escalation of pressure against families seeking justice, Iranian security forces arrested Afshaneh Roozbehani and Behnoosh Darvishi, the mother and sister of Behnam Darvishi, who was killed during the nationwide protests in January 2026, during a raid on a cemetery in the city of Nahavand on the eve of the Persian New Year.
The arrests took place on Thursday, March 19, 2026, as the family gathered at Behnam Darvishi’s gravesite to hold a memorial ceremony. According to reports, security agents used force while detaining the two women. Following their arrest, they were transferred to Noshijan Prison in Malayer.
At the time of writing, no official information has been released regarding the charges brought against Afshaneh Roozbehani and Behnoosh Darvishi, nor about their health condition or the circumstances of their detention. The lack of transparency has heightened concerns over the safety and well-being of both women, who are widely regarded as part of Iran’s community of “justice-seeking” families—relatives of those killed during state crackdowns.
Behnam Darvishi, a resident of Nahavand, was fatally shot by security forces on Friday, January 9, 2026, during protests in the Tehranpars district of Tehran. The arrest of Behnam Darvishi’s family members at his gravesite is only one example of the systematic repression against the families of protest victims in Iran.
