The case of Iranian twin sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi has become a disturbing symbol of the repression facing young people detained following Iran’s January 2026 protests. Arrested while still teenagers, the sisters have reportedly endured months of imprisonment and severe mistreatment. Taraneh has now been sentenced to death, while Romina has received a 25-year prison sentence.
The twins were 19-year-old high-school students when security forces arrested them following the nationwide protests in January. According to their family, masked agents took the young women during nighttime raids, after which their whereabouts remained unknown for months.
Their mother, Marzieh Nourmohammadi, desperately searched hospitals, police stations and government offices trying to discover what had happened to her daughters. Eventually, she learned they were being held at Dowlatabad prison in Isfahan.
When she was finally permitted to see them, their condition reportedly left her struggling to recognise her own daughters.
According to their US-based cousin, Masoud Nourmohammadi, the twins had swollen and bruised faces, injuries to their elbows, knuckles and feet, and large amounts of their hair had been torn out. He said they had been subjected to solitary confinement and dragged between cells by their hair.
Particularly alarming are allegations surrounding Taraneh’s confession. Her family says she was forced to sign a confession after interrogators threatened to sexually assault Romina in front of her if she refused.
That alleged coerced confession was subsequently used against Taraneh, who has now been sentenced to death.
Romina received a 25-year prison sentence.
The sisters are among 16 defendants prosecuted in Isfahan in connection with the January demonstrations. Charges against them reportedly include “moharebeh,” or “waging war against God,” as well as assembly and collusion, propaganda against the Islamic Republic and offences relating to public property.
Their family disputes the accusations and says there is no credible evidence establishing that the sisters committed violent acts.
Taraneh’s physical condition has also raised serious concern. Her cousin has said that she had previously undergone surgery on her leg and had plates and screws inserted. Following her treatment in detention, her condition reportedly deteriorated so severely that she has struggled to walk. Despite a prison doctor reportedly recommending urgent hospital treatment, her family says adequate medical care has been denied.
The case comes amid growing international concern over Iran’s use of capital punishment against people detained in connection with protests. Human-rights organisations have documented allegations of torture, prolonged solitary confinement, threats of sexual violence and forced confessions in death-penalty cases.
Taraneh and Romina’s ordeal therefore reaches far beyond the fate of two young sisters. It represents an urgent test for the international community.
Taraneh’s execution must be stopped, and Romina and all prisoners subjected to torture and politically motivated prosecutions must receive urgent international protection.
Silence cannot be an option when a young woman’s life may depend on immediate international action.