Seven Kurds arrested in Sarpol-e Zahab over peaceful protest call

Hengaw - Friday, January 2, 2026

Seven Kurdish men from Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah (Kermashan) province, Qaem Badri, Askar Najafi, Ahad Moradi, Esfandiar Sarvari, Jabbar Jamshidi, Masoud Aghaei, and Mehdi Karimi, have been arrested in connection with the republishing of a call for a peaceful protest.

Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights indicates that the arrests were carried out on Friday, January 2, 2026. All seven men, residents of Sarpol-e Zahab, were detained and transferred to an undisclosed location.

Among those arrested, Mehdi Karimi had previously been detained during the Woman, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement, and his name had been listed among those injured during the protests. He was arrested at his workplace, a small kiosk located in one of the parks in Sarpol-e Zahab.

The seven Kurdish men were arrested after republishing a call for a peaceful protest gathering and remain held at an undisclosed location.