Motahare Goonei
Age: 29
Activism/rights: Civil activist
Status: Released on bail
Judicial status: 21 months’ imprisonment and two open judicial cases
Violations: Arbitrary arrest and detention; lack of fair trial and due process; denial of access to legal counsel; denial of medical care; denial of family visits; familial punishment; deprivation of education
Motahare Goonei is a civil activist, a dentistry student at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and a former political secretary of the Islamic Association of the University of Tehran. She has faced judicial prosecution and security pressure due to her outspoken criticism of the policies of the Islamic Republic and Ali Khamenei, as well as her opposition to the death penalty. Motahare was arrested in October 2022 during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising and was released after several days. One year later, by a decision of the central committee of the Ministry of Health, she was transferred from Tehran University of Medical Sciences to Ardabil University of Medical Sciences on charges of “creating unrest and disorder” and was sentenced to 24 months’ suspension from her studies. Following a sit-in at the House of Music in protest against the death sentence of Toomaj Salehi, she was arrested on 1 May 2024 after a raid by IRGC Intelligence agents on her home and was released on bail several days later. In July 2024, Branch 29 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced her to one year’s imprisonment. On 8 October 2024, after being summoned to the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran, she was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison to serve her sentence. Due to her continued protests against death sentences while in prison, she was for a period deprived of visitation rights. Motahare was released from prison on 16 March 2025 upon completion of her sentence.
Mohatare was arrested on 14 June 2025 following a raid by Ministry of Intelligence agents on her home due to her protests against state policies regarding the war, and was transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. After her release, she published images of used bullet casings and bullet impact marks in her home, stating that the agents had entered with firearms during her arrest, broken her elbow, and severely beaten her parents.
Following the Israeli attack on Evin Prison on 23 June 2025 and the severe damage to Ward 209, where Mohatare was held, concerns about her condition increased due to lack of information, until it was announced on 16 July 2025 that she had been released on bail.
After her release, she criticised prison authorities for their disregard for prisoners’ lives during the attack, stating that the cell doors remained locked, even during the explosions, for 15 female prisoners, including herself, without any attempt by officials to ensure their safety. She added that the prisoners themselves were forced to break the doors and accused the authorities of the Islamic Republic of planning to kill political prisoners.
Two months after her release, Branch 29 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced her to 15 months’ imprisonment on the charge of “propaganda against the system” and to six months’ imprisonment on the charge of insulting the Leader of the Islamic Republic. was upheld on appeal in December 2025. Mohatare continues to be banned from higher education.
In May 2026, two new judicial cases were opened against this civil activist, and she was summoned to appear in connection with them. In the first case, she was summoned to Branch 9 of the Investigation Office of the Tehran Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office to answer charges including “insulting the Supreme Leader”, “insulting Islamic sanctities”, “insulting officials and agents”, “propaganda against the system”, and “spreading falsehoods”.
Under the second summons, she was required to appear before the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of District 31 in Tehran (Special Prosecutor’s Office for Media and Cybercrimes) to defend herself against the charge of “spreading falsehoods”.