At least 13 Kurds, including two children and one woman, arrested across several cities
Hengaw – Friday, February 6, 2026
At least 13 Kurds, including two children and one woman, have been arrested by Iranian government forces across multiple cities, including Mahabad, Piranshahr, Kermanshah, Qorveh, Bijar, Ilam, Bojnord, Tehran, Karaj, and Bandar Abbas.
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has verified the identities of the detainees as Ali Khani, Meysam Shakeri, Ahmadreza Akhtari, Hemn Laweh, Shahrokh Mostafaei, Bahar Akbari, Sadeq Parvizizadeh, Hessam Esmaili, Omid Azizi, Boroumand Azamipour, Milad Parandakh, Mehrdad Feli, and Ilya Mahmudi.
Details of the cases, listed by location and in chronological order, are as follows:
Mahabad and Piranshahr
Omid Azizi, a resident of Qam Qaleh village near Mahabad, was arrested on February 4, 2026, during a raid by government forces on his home. He was detained without a warrant, subjected to violence, and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Hessam Esmaili, a resident of Piranshahr and father of four, was arrested without a warrant on January 28, 2026, and transferred to a security detention facility in Urmia. Nine days after his arrest, no information has been released regarding his fate.
Tehran, Karaj, and Bandar Abbas
Milad Parandakh, a 32-year-old originally from Gilangharb and currently living in Tehran, was arrested by agents of the IRGC Intelligence Organization in Robat Karim on February 4, 2026. He had previously been arrested on January 8, 2026, and released on bail, and also has a prior arrest record dating back to 2019.
Mehrdad Feli, a resident of Zarneh in Eyvan-e Gharb County who currently lives in Bandar Abbas, was arrested without a warrant by government forces while on his way to work on January 25, 2026.
Ilya Mahmudi, a 16-year-old child from Kermanshah residing in Karaj, was arrested during protests on January 9, 2026, and transferred to an undisclosed location. No information has been released about his fate.
Ahmadreza Akhtari, an 18-year-old from Shirvan in Ilam Province, was arrested during public protests in Tehran and transferred to Great Tehran Greater Penitentiary.
Kermanshah
Boroumand Azamipour, a history researcher and secondary school teacher in Kermanshah, was arrested on the morning of February 1, 2026, while visiting a post office to collect a book. Reports confirm that government forces later raided his home, conducted a full search, and confiscated approximately 40 books, research manuscripts, and personal belongings.
In a related case, Bahar Akbari, a 14-year-old child from Kermanshah, was arrested during protests in the city and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Qorveh and Bijar
Shahrokh Mostafaei, a shopkeeper from Qorveh, was arrested on January 11, 2026, and transferred to the city’s prison. According to a source close to his family, authorities extended his detention by one month, denied him access to legal counsel and in-person visits, and warned relatives against publicizing his case.
Hemn Laweh, a 25-year-old athlete from Bijar, was arrested by government forces on the evening of January 10, 2026, and transferred to an undisclosed location. His fate remains unknown.
Bojnord (North Khorasan)
Meysam Shakeri, a Kurdish resident of Bojnord, was arrested without a warrant on January 10, 2026, and transferred to an undisclosed location. He was later moved to Bojnord Prison, where he has been denied access to legal counsel and family visits.
Ali Khani, also from Bojnord, was arrested by government forces on January 9, 2026, and taken to an undisclosed location. During a brief phone call, he reported being in critical condition, raising serious concern among his family.
Ilam
Sadeq Parvizizadeh, a nature photographer from Ilam, was arrested during protests after being severely injured by government forces. He was subsequently transferred to an undisclosed location, and no further information is available regarding his condition or legal status.
