Kurdish cultural activist Ali Shokri arrested, transferred to Urmia

Hengaw – Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Ali Shokri, a Kurdish cultural activist from Bukan, has been arrested by Iranian authorities and transferred to a security detention facility in Urmia amid the ongoing crackdown on civil and cultural activists in Kurdistan.

Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights shows that Shokri, 50, was arrested at his workplace in Bukan on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, without the presentation of a warrant.

Following his arrest in Bukan, Shokri was transferred to a security detention facility in Urmia for interrogation.

No precise information is available regarding the reasons for his arrest, the authority responsible for carrying it out, or any charges against him. Efforts by his family to obtain information about his fate and whereabouts have so far yielded no results.