Vatmani was summoned by the cyber police on September 15, 2018 on charges of “disturbing public opinion” and was arrested. He was released the same day after being interrogated about his “business license.”

His summons and accusation were related to participating in protests in cities of Iranian Kurdistan in the summer of 2018. Alongside him, many other Kurdish men were also arrested.

A general strike was held on September 12, 2018, in some Kurdish cities in Iran to protest the execution of three Kurdish political prisoners, Zanyar Moradi, Loghman Moradi, and Ramin Hossein Panahi, and to protest the Revolutionary Guards' missile attack on Kurdish parties. Some human rights websites reported the arrest of civil activists in other Kurdish cities by the security forces.

The cities of Sanandaj, Baneh, Saqqez, Paveh, Javanrud, Bukan, Marivan, Oshnavieh, Kermanshah and Mahabad were among the cities that saw the general strike.

In addition to participating in the protests, Herman Vatmani was tried in June 2019 in the Second Branch of the Criminal Court of a West Azerbaijan province on charges of supporting a Kurdish party opposing the Islamic Republic and was sentenced to six months suspended imprisonment.

Vatmani denied the charges and appealed the verdict.

Vatmani posted a note on his Facebook page in August 2019: “On Monday, August 25, I traveled to Bashmaq border to go the Kurdistan region, but security forces confiscated my passport and announced that I were not allowed to leave the country.”