Two female researchers and writers, Shirin Karimi and Mahsa Assadollahnejad , were arrested by the clerical regime’s security forces on Monday, November 3, 2025, and taken to an undisclosed location, in what appears to be an enforced disappearance.
Shirin Karimi, a writer, translator, and researcher born in 1983, holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Tehran. She was arrested at 7:30 a.m. at her residence in Tehran. Security agents searched her home and confiscated her electronic devices and books.
Shirin Karimi is known for her contributions to Critique of Political Economy website and her translations of works by Judith Butler and Afsaneh Najmabadi. She also collaborated in the “Philosophy Books for Teenagers” series.
On the same day, Mahsa Assadollahnejad, 35, a sociologist and researcher, was arrested at her parents’ home in Tehran. She holds a PhD in political sociology from Tarbiat Modares University, where her dissertation focused on the formation of the Iranian regime between 1979 and 1989. In recent years, Assadollahnejad has been actively involved in organizing study groups and academic circles at institutions such as the Bidar School.
As of now, no official information has been released regarding the charges, place of detention, or legal status of Shirin Karimi and Mahsa Assadollahnejad.
