Ongoing wave of arrests in Kurdistan: Four Kurds arrested by security forces

Hengaw: Monday, December 30, 2024

The wave of arrests targeting Kurds in Kurdistan continues unabated, with four individuals—Rasoul Pourkhazri, Faiaq Ghaderzadeh, Fardin Nouri, and Faiaq Rashdiyan—arrested by security forces in the cities of Saqqez, Oshnavieh (Şino), and Mahabad. This latest development brings the total number of Kurds detained in December 2024 to 70.

According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the arrests occurred under troubling circumstances. At 3 a.m. on Sunday, December 30, 2024, 21-year-old Faiaq Ghaderzadeh, a resident of Mahabad, was detained at his workplace by security forces. The arrest was carried out without a search warrant, and he was transferred to an undisclosed location. On the same day, at 1 a.m., security agents raided the home of Rasoul Pourkhazri, a resident of the village of Soufian near Oshnavieh. Pourkhazri was also arrested without the presentation of a search warrant, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Two other individuals, Fardin Nouri and Faiaq Rashdiyan, were arrested earlier on Thursday, December 26, 2024. Both are residents of the village of Khordeloki in the Sarshiv district of Saqqez. They were arrested by agents of the Intelligence Department while in the city of Baneh and subsequently transferred to undisclosed locations.

Families of the detained individuals have been unable to obtain any information regarding their fate or whereabouts despite persistent efforts. As of this report, no details have been released about the reasons for these arrests, or the charges against the detainees.