Ongoing wave of Kurdish arrests: Three men arrested in Oshnavieh

Hengaw: Monday, December 30, 2024

Security forces have arrested three Kurdish men—Rahman Tabesh, Kourosh Azizi, and Hedi Shadikhah—in Oshnavieh (Şino), transferring them to undisclosed locations. At least 66 Kurds have been arrested in Iran during December 2024 alone.

According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Rahman Tabesh, a former political prisoner, was arrested at his family home in Oshnavieh at 4 a.m. on Monday, December 30, 2024, by agents of the Intelligence Department. Simultaneously Hedi Shadikhah, a resident of the village of Singan, was arrested at his family home.

During the arrests of Tabesh and Shadikhah, intelligence agents created an atmosphere of intimidation and used excessive force, including searching their homes.

Kourosh Azizi, another former political prisoner, was arrested at his workplace on Sunday, December 29, 2024. Security agents later raided his home and conducted a search.

Rahman Tabesh was previously arrested in 2020 and sentenced to three years and six months in prison on charges of “membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.” He served part of his sentence in the prisons of Oshnavieh and Naqadeh before being released.

Kourosh Azizi was arrested in 2018 on similar charges and sentenced to four years in prison, with three years enforceable. He began serving his sentence on December 22, 2019, in Oshnavieh Central Prison and was later conditionally released.