The persistent targeting of minority children in Iran through unlawful arrests is a deeply troubling human rights issue that continues to escalate in 2025. Recent data reveals a significant surge in arrests, with a particular focus on ethnic and religious minorities. This analysis examines the latest statistics, contextualizes the systemic abuses, and incorporates critical statements from prominent human rights organizations and fact-finding bodies, to highlight the scope, impact, and international legal violations encompassed in this crisis.
The Scale and Scope of Unlawful Arrests
According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 147 individuals were arrested across Iran by security forces in July 2025—a staggering 60% increase compared to 92 arrests during the same month last year. Among those detained were not only adults but also at least three children, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the campaign against minority communities.
The arrested children included:
- Behzad Souri-zehi, 17, Kurdish, from Khash
- Mohammad Ascharavi, 16, Baloch, from Abadan
- Kazhal Salehi, 14, Arab, from Bojnurd
These three children represented 2.5% of the total arrests in July, underscoring the illegal targeting of minors during what appear to be politically motivated actions.
Geographic and Ethnic Breakdown
The bulk of arrests occurred predominantly in provinces populated by ethnic minorities:
- West Azerbaijan (Urmia) with 40 arrests, mostly Kurdish
- Kurdistan (Sanandaj) with 31 arrests
- Sistan and Baluchestan with 15 arrests
The arrested population included 81 Kurds, 18 Balochs, 7 Bahá’í activists, and one Christian activist, reflecting a multi-ethnic assault on minority rights across the country.
The patterns of arrests reveal a grim targeting strategy where ethnicity and religious belief play a decisive role in who is subject to state repression.
The Human Rights Dimensions and Historical Context
The ongoing persecution of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran has catastrophic consequences for minority children. The atrocities they suffer include lethal state violence, systematic discrimination, executions, loss of family members, and psychological trauma.
According to a January 2025 report by Iran Human Rights,
“Children in many areas of Sistan and Baluchistan learn about executions much, much earlier because nowhere else in the country are such bitter and inhumane concepts, such as being killed on the roads or through execution, so close to the daily life of children.”
This statement vividly illustrates the brutal normalization of violence within minority-populated regions.
Lethal State Violence
State forces have been responsible for mass killings of peaceful minority child protesters, notably during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising of 2022. Amnesty International reported that over 60% of children killed in those protests belonged to Baluchi and Kurdish minorities. Specific tragic events include at least 19 Baluchi children killed on “Bloody Friday,” September 30, 2022, in Zahedan.
Execution of Juvenile Offenders
Iran remains one of the few countries that continues to execute juvenile offenders, disproportionately affecting minority populations. The execution of a Baluchi juvenile offender, Mehdi Barahouie, in October 2024, marked a wrenching violation of international law and emphasized the state’s disregard for minority children’s rights.
Impact of State Violence on Families
The loss of parents due to executions or imprisonment for religious beliefs has left a generation of children vulnerable and traumatized, especially within the Bahá’í community. The UN’s Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran highlighted the severe impact of state violence on minority children, noting their psychological distress and social destabilization.
Violations of Iranian and International Law
The treatment of minority children in Iran grossly violates Iran’s own constitution as well as its international obligations under treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Iran is particularly in breach of several international norms:
- The CRC explicitly forbids the execution of juveniles, yet this continues unabated with minority children facing executions.
- The government rejects provisions it deems incompatible with Islamic laws, which it uses as justification to avoid upholding children’s rights.
- The use of lethal force by law enforcement against peaceful minority protesters flagrantly violates the UN’s Basic Principles on the Use of Force, which mandate lethal force only be used when strictly unavoidable to protect life.
Human rights advocacy groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned these violations. Human Rights Watch noted, “Iranian authorities are carrying out the crime against humanity of persecution against Bahá’ís in Iran,” underscoring the severity of targeted ethnic and religious oppression.
Religious Minority Persecution
Seven Bahá’í activists and one Christian activist were among those arrested in July 2025 alone, highlighting the ongoing religious persecution within Iran. The Bahá’í community faces systemic discrimination, with arrests, abductions, and imprisonment common.
The World Watch List 2025 described Iran’s government as viewing Iranian Christians as a threat instigated by Western countries, leading to harsh crackdowns on Christian converts.
This religious persecution compounds the ethnic discrimination experienced by minorities, making minority children doubly vulnerable to unlawful state actions.
Recent Developments: Arrests Continue in August 2025
The trend continued into August 2025, with at least 87 people arrested, including one child—a 16-year-old Kurdish boy named Voria Amiri from Sarpol-e Zahab. This ongoing repression despite international outcry indicates the Iranian government’s hardened stance against minority rights.
Women activists are also targeted, with seven women arrested in August across Tehran, Marivan, Bandar Anzali, and Sabzevar, reflecting the broader crackdown on civil society and human rights defenders.
International Response and Calls for Action
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran and reports from the EU’s European Asylum Support Office consistently condemn Iran’s violations against minority rights and emphasize the urgent need for international monitoring and accountability mechanisms.
Human rights groups, including Hengaw and Amnesty International, have called for the release of detained children and cessation of juvenile executions, emphasizing the state’s responsibility to protect children’s rights irrespective of ethnicity or religion.
A Call for Global Awareness and Resolution
The unlawful arrests of Iran’s minority children underline a systematic state policy of repression that violates national and international law. The disproportionate impact on Kurdish, Baluchi, Arab, Bahá’í, and Christian minorities exposes a fabric of ethnic and religious discrimination that continues unabated.
The international community must intensify pressure on Iran to respect children’s rights and halt illegal arrests and executions. The voices of organizations and victims alike emphasize that children, traditionally seen as innocent and vulnerable, have become frontline targets in a broader repression campaign.
