Detained photographer and civil activist Omid Bagheri begins hunger strike

Hengaw — Saturday, December 27, 2025

Omid Bagheri, a Kurdish photographer and civil activist from Islamabad-e Gharb (Shabad) in Kermanshah province (Kermashan), has begun a hunger strike in protest against his continued detention and the issuance of an open-ended detention order.

Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that Bagheri, 37, launched his hunger strike on Friday, December 26, 2025, while being held at the Intelligence Department detention center in Kermanshah. He is currently on the 13th day of his detention.

Since his arrest, Bagheri has been denied fundamental legal rights, including access to a lawyer and the right to family visits.

Bagheri was arrested on Sunday, December 14, 2025, while traveling from Kermanshah to Paveh. He was stopped at a temporary checkpoint and subsequently arrested with violence.

He had previously been arrested in 2024 in connection with his participation in Nowruz-related ceremonies in Kurdistan and for photographing these events. He was later subjected to a security-related case and convicted on charges of “propaganda against the state,” receiving a sentence of six months of suspended imprisonment.

Bagheri has long been active in documentary photography, as well as civil and environmental activism, and is widely regarded as a well-known and respected civil figure in Kermanshah province due to his years of sustained social engagement.