Sara Gohari, a 29-year-old Afghan sociology student living in Iran has been detained after traveling to the country’s eastern border to document the forced deportation of Afghan refugees, her lawyer and a rights group said.
The case underscores official sensitivity around a populist push to expel mostly impoverished Afghan migrants citing alleged security concerns after Tehran was worsted in a conflict with Israel.
Her lawyer Reza Shafakhah told Shargh newspaper she has been charged with launching propaganda against the Islamic Republic and photographing prohibited sites.
Since the outbreak of a 12-day war with Israel last month, nearly half a million Afghans have been deported from Iran—many of them facing violence and persecution upon return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and enduring inhumane conditions during expulsion, according to UN experts.
Gohari was arrested on July 6 at the Taybad border crossing in Razavi Khorasan province, where she had gone to conduct independent research on Afghan migrants, according to the rights group Hengaw.
The crossing connects Iran to Afghanistan’s Herat province via the town of Islam Qala and is a major transit point used by Iranian authorities in the ongoing mass deportations. The arrest was reportedly carried out without a warrant, and for over 10 days, Gohari's family and legal counsel had no contact with her.
The university of Tehran student had previously posted on Instagram that she intended to collect and share stories of Afghans being forcibly returned from Iran. After her arrest, she was held in solitary confinement for nearly three weeks at the Intelligence Ministry’s detention center in Mashhad before being transferred to Torbat-e Jam Prison, her lawyer said.
The prison is near Mashad, gaining attention gained due to executions, often in connection with drug-related charges
The university student's case was made public on July 22, when her lawyer posted to X that Gohari had been charged with “propaganda against the state.” He said the case is currently under review by the Taybad County Prosecutor’s Office.
In his follow-up interview with Shargh, Shafakhah said authorities have set bail at 500 million tomans (about $10,000), and efforts are underway to secure her temporary release.
Supporters have launched a social media campaign using the hashtag #WhereIsSaraGohari to pressure Iranian authorities for answers on her detention and legal status.
Authorities have released no details about the evidence against Gohari. Her sudden disappearance, extended incommunicado detention, and transfer between facilities have intensified concerns about the Islamic Republic’s treatment of Afghan migrants, students, and researchers.
