December Protests – Three members of a Yarsani Kurdish family, including two women, arrested by Iranian forces

Hengaw – Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Three members of a Yarsani Kurdish family—Seyed Farshad Shafiei, Elham Mehrabi, and Seyedeh Ghazal Shafiei—were arrested by forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kerend-e Gharb (Dalahu) and transferred to an undisclosed location.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Seyed Farshad Shafiei (45), a resident of Kerend-e Gharb, along with his wife Elham Mehrabi and their daughter Seyedeh Ghazal Shafiei (23)—a tanbur musician and instructor—were arrested in the early hours of Friday, January 9, 2026.

Informed sources told Hengaw that government forces raided the family’s home without presenting a court warrant, following their participation in peaceful public protests in the city of Kerend.

Five days after their arrest, no information has been released regarding their whereabouts, legal status, or condition. The family’s efforts to obtain updates from security and judicial authorities have so far been unsuccessful.