118 arbitrary detentions by Iranian government forces in November 2023

Hengaw: Friday, December 1st, 2023

According to data registered at the Statistics and Documentation Center of the Hengaw Organization, in November 2023, Iranian government security forces detained a minimum of 118 individuals. This reflects a 61% reduction when contrasted with the 303 individuals detained in the preceding month of October.

The report reveals that in November 2023, the security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared a total of 44 Kurdish individuals, 7 Baloch people, 40 women, 5 children, and 18 Baha'i adherents.

More than 43% of those detainees are Kurdish or Baloch

According to Hengaw's statistics, during November, at least 44 Kurdish individuals were detained by Iranian government entities, comprising 37% of the total detentions across Iran during the past month.

During the same period, 7 Baloch individuals were also detained by government security forces, accounting for 6% of all detentions.

Furthermore, during the past month, 9 Gilak activists, 5 Lor and Bakhtiari individuals, and 5 Turkish individuals were detained by security forces.

Detained Religious Minority Activists;

The arbitrary detention of religious minority activists persisted in November, mirroring previous months, with government entities detaining a minimum of 26 individuals. Among those arrested, 18 were Baha'i adherents, comprising 12 women and 6 men. Furthermore, during the same period, Iranian government entities detained four Kurdish Yarsan adherents in Kermanshah province and four Sunni figures from Kurdistan and Sistan-Baluchistan.

Detention of 40 females and 5 minors in November;

According to the statistics at the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 40 females were detained across Iran during the past month. This number accounts for 34% of all detentions.

In the last month, at least 12 female Baha'i adherents, 7 Gilak women activists, and 2 Kurdish women activists were arrested.

Additionally, during the same period, five minors under the age of 18 were detained or forcibly disappeared by security and government entities across Iran.

These five detainee children are Kurdish from Piranshahr.

Detention of teachers, students, and media activists;

During November 2023, based on Hengaw's statistics, at least 2 students in the cities of Tabriz and Karaj, as well as 9 teachers in the cities of Abdanan, Firuz Abad, Shiraz, Ahvaz, and Mashahd, were detained.

It is also important to note that during the past month, at least six journalists and media activists, as well as nine artists and actors in various cities across Iran, were detained by government entities.

The identities of all these 118 individuals have been recorded in Hengaw’s database. The use of this data while citing the source is authorized.