Security forces in Mashhad city have arrested Aaliyeh motalebzadeh, a photojournalist and former political prisoner, along with several other political activists during a memorial ceremony for human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi.
According to a report received by the Defending Free Flow of Information organization (DeFFI), on 12 December 2025, security forces in Mashhad detained Aaliyeh motalebzadeh while she was attending a commemoration event for Khosrow Alikordi, a human rights lawyer from Khorasan province. Motalebzadeh was arrested alongside Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a number of other political activists and former political prisoners.
Khosrow Alikordi passed away last week at his workplace. The Mashhad Prosecutor’s Office has officially attributed his suspicious death to a heart attack.
Aaliyeh motalebzadeh is a photographer, women’s rights activist, and former political prisoner with a prior history of arrests and facing security and judicial measures.
According to DeFFI, at least 95 Iranian journalists and media workers faced judicial or security actions in the first six months of 2025. During this period, at least 46 new legal cases were opened against journalists and media outlets, at least six journalists experienced temporary detention, and in trials held, Iranian journalists were collectively sentenced to a total of 22 years and three months in prison and fined more than 50 million tomans.