Sepideh Gholian is a prominent Iranian labour rights activist and journalist who gained national and international attention after covering and participating in labour protests at the Haft Tappeh sugarcane factory in 2018, which led to her arrest. Gholian has been repeatedly detained, tortured, and sentenced to prison on charges of allegedly “spreading propaganda against the system” and “assembly and collusion against national security.”

Despite facing severe repression, Gholian has continued her activism both inside and outside prison, releasing letters and statements from behind bars. She has also documented the harsh conditions faced by women prisoners in Iran, drawing attention to the mistreatment of political prisoners, especially women. In March 2023, Gholian was briefly released but was rearrested shortly after.

She was arrested with other human rights defenders in Mashad on 12 December 2025, during the seventh-day memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer and human rights defender. She was then transferred to Vakilabad Prison.