Labour Activist and Former Political Prisoner Younes Azadbar Arrested at Retirees’ Protest in Rasht

Breathing in Confinement, Sunday, 16 August 2026: Younes Azadbar, a labour activist and former political prisoner, was arrested during a labour protest by retirees outside the Social Security Administration office in Rasht and transferred to a detention facility.

According to reporters from Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Jamshid Azizi, a former political prisoner from Gilan, announced the arrest of Younes Azadbar in a post shared on his Instagram story.

Younes Azadbar is a labour activist and former political prisoner from the 1980s who, according to published information, has spent a total of approximately 12 years of his life in prison. He is a well-known figure at protest gatherings held by Social Security retirees in Rasht and has actively participated in retirees’ labour protests in recent years.

Azadbar has also participated in protests against the issuance and implementation of death sentences, particularly those imposed on political prisoners. During these gatherings, he held photographs of several political prisoners sentenced to death and called for the release of political prisoners, a halt to executions, and the revocation of death sentences.

According to Jamshid Azizi, bail of 1.5 billion tomans has been set for Younes Azadbar’s release. However, no further details have yet been made public regarding the charge or charges against him, the judicial authority handling his case, or his exact place of detention.

Concerns have also been raised about Younes Azadbar’s health and conditions of detention following reports that he is in poor physical health. According to Azizi, the physical and psychological pressures associated with detention and interrogation could have serious and irreversible consequences for someone in poor health. Responsibility for safeguarding the health and safety of this labour activist rests with the security and judicial authorities and the officials responsible for his place of detention.