Iranian state forces arrest 12 Kurds amid ongoing protests

Hengaw – Saturday, January 3, 2026

At least twelve Kurdish men have been arrested by forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the cities of Badreh, Darreh Shahr, and Sarpol-e Zahab amid ongoing protests. The detainees have been identified as Mohsen Shokri, Amir Mohammadi, Reza Bagherinejad, Amir Eisa-Zadeh, Mohammad Bashir Hashemian, Mehdi Hashemian, Bahador Amouzadeh, Ahmad Hasanvand Amouzadeh, Morad Haseli, Amin Noormansh, Farhad Mohammadrashid, and Mohsen Heydarbaigi. All were transferred to undisclosed locations, and no information has been released regarding their condition or legal status.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Mohsen Shokri and Amir Mohammadi were shot and wounded by Intelligence Ministry agents at the Patagh checkpoint in Sarpol-e Zahab on Saturday, January 3, 2025, before being arrested. Their current medical condition and whereabouts remain unknown.

Meanwhile, five residents of Armu village, located in the Darrehshahr district of Ilam Province—Amir Eisa-Zadeh (30), Mohammad Bashir Hashemian (35), Mehdi Hashemian (30), Bahador Amouzadeh (40), and Ahmad Hasanvand Amouzadeh (30)—were arrested by Iranian state forces.

In a related development, on the evening of Friday, January 2, four residents of Badreh County in Ilam Province—Morad Haseli, Amin Noormansh, Farhad Mohammadrashid, and Mohsen Heydarbaigi—were detained by government forces.

That same night, Reza Bagherinejad, a resident of Sarableh in Ilam Province, was arrested near his home and transferred to an undisclosed location.