Bushehr– Five arrested for over three weeks with no information on their whereabouts

Hengaw– Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Five people—Mohsen Karimi, Mahmoud Darvishi, Yaser Mousavi, Eshaq Kenani, and Yousef Afshari—have been held incommunicado for 25 days following their arrest by intelligence agents on Kharg Island in Bushehr Province. Their current condition and whereabouts remain unknown.

According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the detainees were arrested on Sunday, June 29, 2025, at their homes and workplaces by the Iranian Intelligence Department in Kharg. All five were later transferred to detention facilities in the provincial capital, Bushehr.

Yousef Afshari, 25, is a resident of Kharg Island. Yaser Mousavi, also 25, is originally from Izeh but lives on Kharg. Eshaq Kenani is 35 and from Kharg, while Mohsen Karimi, 45, and Mahmoud Darvishi are also from the island.

According to informed sources, the men have had only limited and brief contact with their families since the arrests, and no official information has been provided about the charges against them or the status of their legal cases.

Reports indicate that the arrests were triggered by social media activity—specifically, posts and stories on Instagram that contained critical content about the Iranian government.