In January 2026, the Iranian regime responded to nationwide protests with one of the bloodiest crackdowns in decades.
Security forces fired on demonstrators. Thousands were arrested.
Families searched desperately for news of loved ones who had disappeared into the country’s prison system.
Now, as war and instability deepen following the U.S. and Israeli invasion of Iran, the situation for detainees has become even more dangerous.
Inside Iran’s prisons, information is tightly controlled. Trials are often secret. Prison conditions are rarely documented.
For many prisoners, the outside world simply stops seeing them. And when no one is watching, abuse thrives. Making the Invisible Visible
For years, United for Iran has worked to ensure that prisoners in Iran are not forgotten.
Through the Iran Prison Atlas, we document arrests, prison conditions, and the officials responsible for abuses. This work creates something powerful in a system built on secrecy: evidence.
Evidence that allows journalists, researchers, and human rights advocates to expose patterns of repression and hold authorities accountable.
A Record the Authorities Cannot Erase
Today, the Iran Prison Atlas includes:
- 8,350 political and ideological prisoners
- 1,163 judicial officials linked to abuses
- 273 prisons and detention centers across Iran
In the past year alone, the project updated 2,400 prisoner profiles, reflecting ongoing arrests, trials, and human rights violations affecting activists, journalists, minorities, and civil society members.
They Are Not Forgotten
By systematically recording arrests, prison conditions, and the officials responsible for abuses, the Iran Prison Atlas reveals patterns of repression that authorities try to hide.
As arrests continue following the January crackdown, the need for accurate documentation is growing rapidly. The events of the past year — violent crackdowns, mass arrests, and war-driven instability — have placed even more people at risk of disappearing into Iran’s prison system.
Each new profile strengthens the world’s understanding of how repression operates inside Iran’s justice system. Without it, the truth can be buried. With it, the world can see what is happening — and those responsible cannot easily hide.
Over the coming year, United for Iran plans to:
- Add 1,000 new prisoner and judicial official profiles
- Expand monitoring of arrests and trials
- Strengthen the database’s analytical capacity
- Continue documenting the officials responsible for repeated human rights violations
Stand With Those Behind Bars
Your donation helps ensure that prisoners in Iran are not erased from the historical record.
It helps document abuses, expose patterns of repression, and preserve the truth.
When you support this work, you are helping ensure that the people imprisoned for their beliefs, activism, or identity are not forgotten.Please make a donation today. Help shine a light on Iran’s prison system.