Continued widespread arrests in Kurdistan
The detention of citizens and political and civil activists continues on the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s murder and the start of nationwide protests. Similar situations are unfolding in other cities in Iran, and in the past two days alone, 11 people have been arrested in Gilan.
In Kurdistan, arbitrary detentions also persist on a wider scale. An informed source, speaking to Iran Human Rights Monitor, stated that at 2 a.m. on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, Shirko Nasiri, a father of two, Ashkan Rasouli, Hedayat Khasteh, and Hiva Shabnag, four citizens from Mahabad, were detained during a raid by agents of the local intelligence department.
On the same day, Shirvan Khodaverdi and Ayoub Mirzaei, both from the village of “Bimzarati” in the outskirts of Oshnavieh, were also detained by government forces.
Security forces, without presenting any judicial authorization, raided the homes of citizens in Mahabad and Oshnavieh, instilling fear and apprehension. They arrested them, subsequently relocating them to undisclosed locations. Additionally, the mobile phones of Ashkan Rasouli, Hedayat Khasteh, and Hiva Shabnag have been confiscated.
Similarly, on the same day and at the same hour, two Kurdish citizens from Piranshahr city were detained during a raid by security forces. According to reports, at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, Omar Hosseinzadeh, 42 years old, and Hamzeh Ghaneii, 43 years old, both married and from the village of “Haji Ghaldah” in the outskirts of Piranshahr, were detained by the intelligence agency forces.
According to an informed source, Omar Hosseinzadeh and Hamzeh Ghaneii were arrested without any judicial authorization and were subjected to a violent raid by government forces in their own homes.
Iran HRM sources in Kurdistan have reported that during the extensive arrests in the past two days, at least 15 citizens in Mahabad, Oshnavieh, and Piranshahr have been detained and transferred to government detention centers in Urmia city. So far, the identities of only 8 of the detainees have been confirmed.
There is no precise information available regarding the charges attributed to the detained citizens, and the location and conditions of their detention remain unknown.
