Iranian Security Arrests Brother of Slain Kurdish Protester After Ebrahim Raisi’s Death

Hengaw; Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Reza Babrnejad, a Kurdish resident of Quchan and the brother of Mehdi Babrnejad, who was killed by government forces during the "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement, was arrested by the intelligence forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

According to a report received by the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, IRGC intelligence forces raided the family home of Reza Babrnejad in Quchan, Razavi Khorasan Province. They arrested him violently without presenting any judicial warrant and transferred him to an unknown location.

A source close to the Babrnejad family said that IRGC intelligence forces arrested Reza Babrnejad in connection with the death of Ebrahim Raisi and the publication of posts on social networks. There is no information available about his situation or whereabouts.

It is noteworthy that Reza Babrnejad was also arrested by the IRGC intelligence forces of Quchan in Khorasan Razavi province last year on August 11, 2023, on the eve of the anniversary of his deceased brother’s birthday.

Mehdi Babrnejad, a 22-year-old Kurdish resident of Quchan, was killed on September 21, 2022, during popular protests in this city by direct gunfire from government forces.