Saeedianju Family

Activism/rights: Justice-seeking family
Violations: Arbitrary arrest and detention; lack of a fair trial and due process; denial of access to a lawyer; solitary confinement; deprivation of employment; familial punishment

Milad Saeedianju was a 26-year-old protester who was shot dead by state forces on 16 November 2022 in Izeh during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” nationwide protests. Following Milad Saeedianju's killing, his family filed a formal complaint requesting the CCTV footage from the site of the killing. To date, they have received no response from the authorities. 

In March 2023, Zahra  and Omid, Milad’s sister and brother, were arrested while holding a birthday commemoration at his grave and were released several days later. A month later, Zahra was dismissed from her job at Mofid and Kian Children’s Hospitals in Tehran. On 9 July 2023, after meeting with other justice-seeking families, Zahra was arrested in Tehran and transferred to solitary confinement at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organisation detention facility. After approximately a month, she was released on bail from Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. On 21 October 2023, unidentified motorcyclists issued death threats against her. Zahra was arrested after reporting on the incident on social media.

She spent one week in solitary confinement at an IRGC Intelligence Organisation facility and was then transferred to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Zahra's lawyer, Reza Shafakhah, stated that despite a formal declaration of legal representation and an in-person appearance at Branch 2 of the Izeh Prosecutor’s Office, Hashemi, the investigating judge of the branch, refused to accept the representation. Zahra was released on 10 December 2023.

Zahra and Omid Saeedianjoo were summoned on 25 March 2024 to Branch 2 of the Izeh Prosecutor’s Office on charges of “propaganda against the system” and “disruption of public order”.

In April 2025, unidentified individuals with covered faces assaulted Narges, Milad’s teenage sister, causing injuries to her face and eye. On 3 November 2025, Zahra was summoned to appear before the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court, accused of “encouraging and inciting young people to killing with the aim of disrupting national security” and “propaganda against the system."