December protests – At least 18 Kurds, including one child, detained across nine cities

Hengaw — Thursday, January 22, 2026

At least 18 Kurds, including one child, were detained by Iranian government forces in connection with the December protests across several cities, including Saqqez, Sardasht, Bukan, Damghan, Ilam, Dehgolan, Kermanshah (Kermashan), Javanrud, and Tehran.

Those detained have been identified as Sediq Yousofpour, Azhuan Khezrian, Soleiman Karimi, Fayegh Abdollahzadeh, Hiwa Tatayi, Milad Mirzabigi, Payam Mirzabigi, Sina Mirzabigi, Jafar Najafi, Rasoul Fathi, 13, Hossein Amiri, Yadi Sarmasti, Pouria Alizadeh, Afshin Azimi, Hemat Karimi, Artin Rostami, Hiwa Veisi, 18, and Adib Salkhordeh, 18.

Sediq Yousofpour, also known as “Pire Halo”, a former political prisoner and a member of the “Halo” mountaineering group from Saqqez, was arrested without a warrant and transferred to an undisclosed location on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. Sources report that security forces raided and searched his home following his arrest.

Azhuan Khezrian, a Kurdish civil activist from Sardasht, was arrested at his workplace, an internet café, on Tuesday, January 20. During the arrest, government forces confiscated all electronic equipment at the café.

Soleiman Karimi and Fayegh Abdollahzadeh, both from Bukan, were arrested without warrants and transferred to undisclosed locations on Saturday, January 18.

Hiwa Tatayi, from Saqqez, was arrested during a raid by intelligence forces in the city on Friday, January 17. He had previously been detained along with his wife during mass arrests carried out around the first anniversary of the state killing of Jina Amini.

Hemat Karimi, a 38-year-old from Marivan, was arrested in the city of Damghan on Sunday, January 11, and transferred to an undisclosed location. More than ten days after his arrest, no information has been made available about his fate.

Milad Mirzabigi, Payam Mirzabigi, and Sina Mirzabigi, three members of the same family in Ilam, were arrested during a raid on their home without a warrant and with the use of violence on Saturday, January 10. Payam and Sina are brothers, and Milad is their cousin. On the same day, Jafar Najafi, a 46-year-old employee of the Ilam Gas Company, was arrested at his workplace.

Rasoul Fathi, a 13-year-old from Dehgolan, was detained on Friday, January 9. One day earlier, three other residents of Dehgolan, Pouria Alizadeh, 24, Hossein Amiri, and Yadi Sarmasti, were arrested and transferred to undisclosed locations.

Afshin Azimi, a 34-year-old worker from the Naqliyeh neighborhood of Kermanshah, was arrested during a raid by IRGC intelligence forces on his home on Wednesday, January 7.

Artin Rostami, from the village of Huyeh near Sanandaj, was arrested in Tehran in recent days amid the latest protests. In addition, Hiwa Veisi, 18, and Adib Salkhordeh, 18, both from Javanrud, were arrested by Iranian authorities in their hometown.

All those detained were transferred to undisclosed locations, and no information has been released regarding their legal status or current condition.