Kurdish man Arshia Qeysarbeigi faces “Waging war against God” charges after violent arrest and torture

Hengaw – Monday, May 18, 2026

Arshia Qeysarbeigi, a Kurdish man from Sarableh in Ilam province, has been held in solitary confinement under severe physical torture for two weeks following his violent arrest and is now facing the serious charges of “Waging war against God” (moharebeh) and “corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz). The charges could place him at risk of a death sentence.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Qeysarbeigi was arrested on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, after Iranian government forces raided his family home without presenting a warrant.

Sources told Hengaw that security forces severely beat him during the arrest, causing serious fractures to his jaw, nose and teeth. During the same raid, the forces also attempted to arrest his brother, Arshak Qeysarbeigi, but were unsuccessful.

According to a judicial document reviewed by Hengaw, on the day following his arrest, May 6, 2026, the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Chardavol county, under the signature of Karim Omidi, issued a two-month temporary detention order against Arshia Qeysarbeigi.

The order accuses him, based on “confessions” obtained under torture, of “waging war against God and corruption on earth through armed intimidation, purchasing, selling, possessing and carrying weapons and ammunition, and illegal shooting.”

The judicial document further claims that the confessions were obtained while the detainee was “in complete health and sound condition,” despite reports that he suffered severe facial injuries during arrest, including fractures to his jaw and nose, and has since been denied all access to medical treatment while held in solitary confinement.