Turkish researcher Shayan Hushyar arrested after condemning hate speech against Kurds

Hengaw – Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Shayan Hushyar, a Turkish researcher and PhD student in Iranian history from Urmia, has been arrested by security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran and transferred to an undisclosed location after publicly condemning a wave of hate speech directed at Kurds.

According to information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Hushyar, a PhD candidate in Iranian history at the Islamic Azad University in Tehran, was arrested by security forces in the capital on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.

Lawyer Masoud Shamsnejad confirmed his arrest, noting that Hushyar had previously stated, “No nation achieves dignity by denying another,” and had defended the Kurds’ right to joy, culture, and dignified presence in their homeland in the face of hate speech.

His arrest follows a series of hate-filled slogans and insults targeting Kurds during a recent event at Urmia’s Bakeri Stadium. In response, Hushyar had published a statement urging calm, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence between Kurdish and Turkish people in Urmia.

Hushyar is regarded as one of Urmia’s prominent young intellectuals and has consistently advocated for equality, solidarity, and mutual respect among the people with different ethnic and national backgrounds in Iran. In his writings and public speeches, he has openly defended the cultural and human rights of the Kurdish people and strongly condemned hate speech and ethnic hostility.

No official information has been released regarding the reasons for his arrest, the charges against him, or his current place of detention.