Common Questions

Who is Bahar Sahraeian and why was she arrested?

Bahar Sahraeian is an Iranian defence lawyer from Shiraz who was arrested at 22:05 on 17 May 2026 while performing legal duties. Hengaw documented the detention; no formal charges have been reported.Source: Hengaw, 17 May 2026

What is Hengaw and how does it document arrests in Iran?

Hengaw is a Kurdish human-rights organisation based outside Iran that monitors arbitrary detentions, executions, and civil-society repression inside the country via internal sources and open-source verification.

How many Iranian lawyers have been arrested since the conflict began?

Precise totals are unavailable, but rights groups including Hengaw have documented dozens of lawyers arrested or disbarred for representing political clients since early 2026. The pattern intensified during the Iran-conflict period.Source: Hengaw; International Bar Association Human Rights Institute

Background

Bahar Sahraeian, a lawyer practising in Shiraz, was detained at 22:05 on Sunday 17 May 2026 while performing legal duties, according to documentation published by Hengaw, the Kurdish human-rights organisation that monitors arbitrary detentions across Iran. The arrest followed a pattern of targeting defence lawyers whose clients include political detainees and civil-society activists connected to the Iran-conflict period. No formal charges were reported at the time of disclosure.

Sahraeian practised in Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province and Iran's fifth-largest city. The targeting of defence lawyers is a documented pattern in Iran's legal system: Bar association data collected by international rights groups shows that dozens of lawyers representing political clients have been arrested, disbarred, or prosecuted since 2022. Hengaw, which operates from outside Iran and relies on internal sources, has documented the practice systematically, including arrests timed to prevent lawyers attending hearings.

The detention carries particular significance during the Iran conflict, when the volume of politically sensitive prosecutions has risen sharply. Arresting a lawyer mid-duty removes legal representation at the most critical moment and signals to the wider bar that no professional context provides immunity. International legal organisations including the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute have called for Sahraeian's immediate release, framing her arrest as a violation of basic principles of legal representation.