134 Individuals Arrested in April 2024 by Iranian Security Forces

Hengaw, Saturday, April 4, 2024

According to data compiled by the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, April 2024 witnessed the arrest of a total of 134 individuals by security forces across Iran. Notably, the majority of these arrests, comprising 63 individuals, were Kurds. 

Breakdown by nationality and gender:

    •    Kurds: 63 cases
    •    Balochs: 15 cases
    •    Women: 15 cases
    •    Children: 1 case
These individuals were either detained or abducted by the security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran during April.

Geographical Distribution of Arrests:

    - West Azerbaijan province (Urmia): 39 cases (37 Kurdish individuals and 2 Turkish individuals)
- Sistan and Balouchestan province: 28 cases
- Kurdistan province (Sanandaj): 15 cases
- Tehran province: 14 cases
- Ilam province: 7 cases
- Khuzestan province: 6 cases (3 Lor Bakhtiari individuals and 3 Arab individuals)
- Gilan Province: 6 cases
- Kermanshah province (Kermashan): 4 cases
- Lorestan, Khorasan, Razavi, and Alborz provinces: 3 cases each
- Fars and Markazi Provinces: 2 cases each
- East Azerbaijan and Isfahan provinces: 1 case each

Over 68% of those detained were Kurds and Balochs.

Hengaw's statistics reveal that in April, the government institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran arrested a minimum of 63 Kurdish individuals. This constitutes more than 47% of the total individuals apprehended throughout the country last month.

In April, 28 Baloch, comprising 21% of all the cases, and 4 Turks were arrested by security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Detention of Religious Minorities

In April, there was a notable increase in the arrests of religious minorities compared to previous months. Six Sunni activists were detained this month, including four Baloch Sunni activists: Saeed Qanbarzahi, Omar Daristan, Noh Kohi, and Saeed Zarnama. Additionally, two Sunni Kurdish activists, Davud Veisi and Amir Firouzi, were apprehended by the security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Furthermore, Mina Khajovi Qomi, a 60-year-old Christian convert, has been detained in Tehran to serve her sentence. Although she was initially arrested in January, news of her arrest was only publicized in April.

Arrest of 15 women activists and 1 child in April 2024

According to statistics recorded by Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center, during the past month, at least 15 women activists were arrested throughout Iran by security forces, which is equivalent to 11.2% of all arrests in this month.

The identified individuals include:

    
1. Maryam Basirtwana from Fuman, Gilan Province
2. Mehsa Basirtwana from Fuman, Gilan Province
3. Mina Khajovi Qomi from Tehran
4. Samaneh Asghari from Tehran
5. Hasti Amiri from Tehran
6. Nafiseh Latifian from Tehran
7. Negar Abedzadeh from Tehran
8. Atena Farghdani from Tehran
9. Dina Qalibaf from Tehran
10. Aida Shakrami from Tehran
11. Khadija Mehdipour from Eyvan, Ilam province
12. Hasti Talatalab from Mashhad
13. Fahima Soltani from Isfahan
14. Parisa Salehi from Karaj
15. Maryam Zalaki from Ahvaz

Additionally, during this period, at least 1 minor under the age of 18, named Hiva Sharifi from Oshnavieh, was arrested and sentenced to the central prison of the city to serve his imprisonment period.
 

Arrest of Teachers, Students:

According to Hengaw's statistics, in April 2024, the security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran arrested a minimum of 10 students and 10 teachers or university professors. This figure represents a 15% increase compared to the arrests reported in the previous month.

The individuals arrested include:

    Names of arrested teachers;
1- Mohammad Sadeghi from Arak
2- Salman al-Fati from Gilan-e Gharb
3- Mohsen Ahmadi from Karzan, Ilam Province 
4- Aman Jalalinejad from Ahvaz
5- Tahir Asgharpour from Karaj
6- Asghar Amirzadegan from Firozabad
7- Khalid Ahmadi from Sanandaj
8- Amir Ismaili from Khorramabad
9- Ahmad Nouchian from Ahvaz
10- Maryam Zelaki from Ahvaz

Names of arrested students;
1- Hasti Amiri from Tehran
2- Zia Nabavi from Tehran
3- Fahima Soltani from Isfahan
4- Iraj Mohammadzadeh from Javanroud, Kermanshah Province
5- Khosro Bahadri Qashqaei from Shiraz
6- Ali Ahmad Kohkan from Zahedan
7- Arjang Mortazavi from Karaj
8- Dina Ghalibaf from Tehran
9- Parisa Salehi from Karaj
10- Matahera, Gunaei, from Tehran
 

Arrest of Media Activists:

In April, there were a minimum of seven arrests of journalists and media activists across various cities in Iran. The individuals detained include:

1. Iraj Mohammadzadeh from Javanroud
2. Rasul Galaban from Urmia
3. Mustafa Hamdi from Saqqez, Kurdistan (Sanandaj) Province
4. Dina Ghalibaf from Tehran
5. Parisa Salehi from Karaj
6. Keyvan Rahimi from Saqqez, Kurdistan (Sanandaj) Province
7. Amir Ismaili from Khorramabad
 

Arrest of Artists and writers:

In April 2024, two artists were detained by security agencies in Iran. Aman Jalalinejad, an artist and educator from Ahvaz, was arrested, along with Isa Cholandim, an artist from Rasht, who was apprehended to serve his sentence.

Additionally, a minimum of four writers and translators were arrested by the security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The individuals detained include Jamal Ameli from Tehran, Luqman Ghanbari from Sarpol-e Zahab, Alireza Beheshti Shirazi from Tehran, and Siamak Masihpour from Behbahan, Khuzestan province. Jamal Ameli and Siamak Masihpour were arrested to carry out their prison sentences.

The identities of all these 134 cases have been recorded in the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. The use of these statistics is permitted with proper source attribution.