According to reports received by the Karoon Human Rights Organization, Jassem Saadi (Sawaedi), a civil rights activist and former political prisoner, born in 1984 and a resident of Hamidiyeh, was arrested on Monday, September 14, 2026 by forces of Iran’s Intelligence Department in Ahwaz and transferred to an undisclosed location.
As of the publication of this report, no precise information is available regarding the reasons for his re-arrest, the charges against him, or his place of detention.
Jassem Saadi was previously arrested in February 2012 , along with several other citizens, including Hassan Abiat; Eidan Beit-Sayah; Shakhi; Reza Oneid-Zadeh Obeydavi; Jalil Naami; and Khaled Obeydavi.
The defendants were tried by Branch One of the Ahwaz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Farhadvand, on charges including “waging war against God” (moharebeh), “corruption on Earth” (ifsad fil-arz), “establishing an organization opposed to the Islamic Republic,” “contact with foreign countries,” and “acting against national security.” Following the trial, Mr. Saadi was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Before their trial, his co-defendants spent more than 11 months in detention at the Ahwaz Intelligence Department, where they were subjected to severe physical and psychological torture and forced to make confessions. These coerced confessions were subsequently broadcast by Press TV, the Islamic Republic’s international English-language television network.
Among these individuals, Hassan Abiat, was executed on charges of moharebeh at dawn on Monday, February 20, 2023 , at Sepidar Prison in Ahwaz.
Jassem Saadi was eventually released on conditional parole in December 2022, after serving 11 years in prison. He has now been re-arrested by security authorities.
The city of Hamidiyeh is located approximately 25 kilometres west of Ahwaz.
The Karoon Human Rights Organization calls for the immediate disclosure of Jassem Saadi’s place of detention and the charges against him, as well as guarantees of his full legal and judicial rights.
