Iranian authorities Arbitrarily detained 3 members of a family in Mahabad, one facing insurrection charges

Hengaw; Sunday, July 29, 2023

Hengaw has obtained information regarding the detention and enforced disappearance of Saadat Tashkeh, Mouloud Atashbar, and Yousef Atashbar, three members of a family from Mahabad, who have been apprehended by government forces for the past two months and their custodial status remain in uncertainty. Yousef Atashbar's life is now in jeopardy as he faces affiliation-related charges of "insurrection," while the status of his brother, Mouloud Atashbar, and Mouloud's wife, Saadat Tashkheh, remain unknown.
 

According to reports obtained by the Hengaw organization for Human Rights, Mouloud Atashbar, aged 40, and his wife, Saadat Tashkeh, have been held in detention for 63 days at their workplace, a farm located on the outskirts of Mahabad, under the custody of government forces. As of now, no information has been disclosed regarding their well-being, whereabouts, or the conditions under which they are being detained.
 

A credible source revealed that approximately seven years ago, Mouloud Atashbar and Saadat Tashkeh migrated to Turkey in pursuit of medical treatment for Saadat's neurological condition. Subsequently, the couple relocated to the Kurdistan region but eventually returned to Iran, having lost hope in the treatment process. they currently have found employment in a nearby farm in Mahabad.
 

The same source stated, "Over the past 62 days, Yousef Atashbar has been deprived of any personal liberty of communication with others or even brief phone calls from his place of detention. His transfer to the government's detention facility in Urmia has raised grave concerns about his well-being."
 

Additionally, Yousef Atashbar, a 43-year-old father of three little girls and a motorcycle mechanic by profession, was arrested by government forces 60 days ago and has managed to inform his family briefly about his detention and subsequent transfer to the government's security detention center in Urmia on only two occasions.
 

Allegedly subjected to coerced confessions under torture, Yousef Atashbar now faces accusations of "affiliation with extremist groups" and "insurrection" based on the forced confessions.
 

Authorities from the government have  repeatedly threatened the family of Yousef and Mouloud Atashbar, demanding the surrender of another brother, Morad Atashbar, who currently resides outside of Iran.
 

Yousef Atashbar was detained on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, while on his way back home from work and subsequently taken to the government's security detention center in Urmia.
 

On Friday, the 26th of May, Mouloud Atashbar and his wife, Saadat Tashkeh, were arrested at their workplace farm on the outskirts of Mahabad. Up to this point, the family remains uninformed about their custodial status, the location of their detention, and the specific affiliation-related charges brought against them.