Kurdish activist Saman Kakemami held incommunicado despite urgent medical needs

Hengaw – Monday, July 28, 2025

Saman Kakemami, a Kurdish civil activist from the city of Naqadeh, remains in custody more than a month after being violently arrested by agents of the Iranian Intelligence Department. Despite suffering from diabetes, he has been denied access to medical care and contact with his family and is currently being held at the Intelligence Detention Center in Urmia.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Kakemami has been detained for 32 days without access to his essential medication, and there has been no information released regarding his condition or whereabouts, raising serious concerns about his health and safety.

Kakemami, 31, holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Tehran. 

More than a month after his arrest, he continues to be denied his most basic rights, including the right to contact his family and access legal representation. Repeated efforts by his relatives to obtain information about his condition have been unsuccessful.

Kakemami was arrested on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at his home by intelligence forces who used violence during the arrest.