Three arrested in Mahabad, whereabouts and conditions unknown

 Hengaw: Friday, November 8, 2024 

Three Kurdish men from Mahabad— Ali Maroufi, Hawre Ghoveh, and Abdullah Houshmand—have been arrested for eleven days, with their whereabouts currently unknown. 

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the three individuals remain held incommunicado at an undisclosed location. Hawre Ghoveh and Abdullah Houshmand were arrested on October 29, 2024, while traveling in a Pride vehicle on the Mahabad-Piranshahr road after being stopped by IRGC forces. On the same day, Ali Maroufi was arrested by IRGC intelligence agents in Mahabad. 

Previously, the IRGC released a video claiming an operation against alleged members of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), reporting one death and two detentions. 

During their detention, Maroufi, Ghoveh, and Houshmand have reportedly been denied basic rights, including family contact and legal representation. To date, no specific information on the reasons for their detention or charges against them has been provided.