Newroz Celebrations in Kurdistan: 78-year-old Saifollah Khan Ghafari Bashbolagh arrested by Intelligence Forces in Saqqez

Hengaw: Sunday, March 23, 2025

Saifollah Khan Ghafari Bashbolagh, a 78-year-old Kurdish resident of Saqqez, has been arrested by the Intelligence Department for participating in Newroz celebrations in Kurdistan.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on Friday, March 21, 2025, Saifollah Khan Ghafari Bashbolagh was detained by intelligence forces in Saqqez and later transferred to the city’s central prison.

Sources confirm that his arrest is directly linked to his participation in Newroz events in the village of Qalaqun near Saqqez. He has been charged with “disturbing public order.”

Previously, Hengaw published a video showing the elderly man reciting a poem by Mamosta Qaneh during the Newroz ceremony—an ode to “freedom behind bars”—which was met with applause and encouragement from those in attendance.