Ako Soltani detained in Saqqez, whereabouts unknown amid Starlink-related allegation

Hengaw — Sunday, April 5, 2026

Iranian intelligence forces have detained a Kurdish man, Ako Soltani, in Saqqez, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Right, Soltani, 31, was arrested on March 21, 2026, after intelligence agents raided his home in Saqqez.

Sources said the arrest was carried out with significant violence. Security forces searched his residence before transferring him to a detention facility run by the Intelligence Department.

A source close to Soltani’s family said authorities have accused him of using satellite internet equipment, specifically the Starlink system.

Authorities have not provided information on his condition or exact place of detention. Efforts by his family to obtain details about his fate have so far been unsuccessful.