Tabriz resident Vahid Vidafar held 75 days over a liked post

Vahid Vidafar, a resident of Tabriz, is still being held in limbo in Tabriz prison 75 days after his arrest. According to HRANA, Intelligence Department agents arrested him in Tabriz on 5 August 2026, and the reason for his arrest was that he liked a post on the page of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.

Nothing is known about the judicial process in Vahid Vidafar's case, and no formal charge has been announced against him. In all this time he has had only one brief phone call with his family. The prisoner suffers from a herniated spinal disc but has been denied access to treatment.

Amirhossein Sheikhmohammadi: five months in limbo in Qazvin prison

At the same time, Amirhossein Sheikhmohammadi, a veterinary medicine student at Karaj Azad University, is still in limbo in Choobindar prison in Qazvin five months after his arrest. He was arrested by security forces in Karaj on 18 May 2026 and is now awaiting judicial proceedings and a court hearing.

According to HRANA, the student was transferred to another ward of the prison in early October and has not been able to phone his family for about 20 days. One of his teeth is broken and needs treatment, but he is denied access to specialist care.

Criminalising activity online

Arresting citizens over a single like or a single post is part of a wide-ranging crackdown that the Islamic Republic is pursuing online after the war. Not long ago, citizens reported threatening text messages from the FARAJA intelligence organisation over their activity on social media, and Amin Dehestani, a blogger from Khorramabad, was jailed for criticising public services.

Holding prisoners for long periods without informing them of the charges, cutting off contact with their families and denying them treatment is a recurring pattern that human rights organisations have repeatedly warned about in Iran's prisons.

Vahid Vidafar has been in limbo in Tabriz prison for 75 days for liking a post.