Weeks after security forces violently suppressed nationwide protests earlier this year, Iran is witnessing a sweeping campaign of arrests that has roiled the country’s political and social landscape. The intensified detentions — targeting protesters, professionals, reformists and dissidents — reflect a broader state effort to quash dissent following one of the largest protest movements in recent Iranian history.

The protests, which began in late December and peaked in early January with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets in over 190 cities and towns, were initially triggered by anger over rising prices and economic hardship. They quickly evolved into mass demonstrations calling for systemic political change and the end of theocratic rule. Security forces responded with a brutal crackdown, using live ammunition, tear gas and force to disperse crowds. Independent monitoring groups estimate thousands of deaths in the unrest, although official figures remain lower.

In the weeks since the violent dispersal, Iranian security agencies have conducted widespread raids on homes, workplaces and neighbourhoods. Activists monitoring the situation say that tens of thousands of people may have been arrested, with many detainees held incommunicado — unable to contact family or lawyers for days or weeks at a time. Verified documentation by rights groups includes names of students, minors, lawyers, doctors and other professionals among those detained.

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The crackdown is not limited to ordinary protesters. Hardline units like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have also targeted leading reformist politicians and activists critical of the regime. Several prominent figures associated with the country’s reformist movement have been arrested in recent days, intensifying concerns about political repression far beyond street protests.

Human rights advocates say the arrest campaign is designed not only to punish those who took to the streets but also to deter future dissent by fracturing civil society networks. Court summons, travel bans, property confiscations and other punitive measures have reportedly been used against both protesters and their families.

Despite the repression, some civic and professional groups continue to speak out against human rights abuses and government policies. Their statements underscore lingering defiance among segments of Iranian society, even as the security apparatus maintains a firm grip on dissent.

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