Authorities detain at least three Kurds, including former political prisoner

Hengaw – Monday, June 29, 2026

Iranian authorities have detained at least three Kurds, Ali Zolfi, Mehran Bahrami, and Mohammad Mohammadi, in the cities of Bukan and Saqqez as the wave of coordinated arrests across Kurdistan continues.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Intelligence Department forces raided the photo studio of Ali Zolfi, a former political prisoner from Bukan, on June 28, 2026, arresting him without presenting a warrant. During the operation, the forces also seized his personal vehicle without legal authorization.

Zolfi was previously arrested during a violent raid on January 19, 2021, and held for a period in a security detention facility in Urmia. His case later resulted in a sentence of four months and ten days in prison, handed down by the Criminal Court of Bukan in September 2021 on the charge of "propaganda against the state." He served the sentence in Bukan Prison.

In a separate incident, Intelligence Department forces raided the workplace of Mehran Bahrami, a young Kurdish man from Saqqez, on June 27, 2026, arresting him without presenting a warrant. He was transferred to an unknown location, and authorities have not disclosed the reasons for his arrest or any charges against him.

Mohammad Mohammadi, another young man from Saqqez, was arrested after reporting to the city's Intelligence Department in response to a summons on June 27, 2026. According to informed sources, officials had initially told him to appear only to sign a written undertaking. However, two days after reporting to the security agency, his fate and whereabouts remain unknown, and detention officials have refused to provide his family with any information.

The exact locations of detention, legal status, and health conditions of the three Kurdish men remain unknown.