Father and brother of deceased environmental activist Chiako Yousefnejad arrested in Sanandaj

Hengaw – Monday, December 22, 2025

Iranian authorities have arrested Adel and Ako Yousefnejad, the father and brother of the late environmental activist Chiako Yousefinejad, in what appears to be part of continued state pressure on civil society activists and families seeking justice.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Adel Yousefnejad, 53, and his son Ako were detained on Monday, December 22, 2025, after being summoned to the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Sanandaj.

Sources told Hengaw that the two were summoned via telephone a day earlier. After appearing at the IRGC Intelligence office at around 11 a.m., they were taken into custody.

No information has been made available regarding the reasons for their arrest or the charges against them. However, it is believed that their detention may be linked to their participation in a ceremony held on Friday by environmental activists in Sanandaj as part of the “Zagrosaneh Campaign.”

Chiako Yousefnejad, an environmental activist and athlete from Sanandaj, passed away on Sunday, July 27, 2025, after four days in the ICU of Kosar Hospital. He suffered severe burns while helping extinguish a large wildfire in the Abidar mountain area.