51 arrested in October 2024 by security forces of Islamic Republic of Iran

Hengaw; Sunday, November 3, 2024 

According to data compiled by the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Right, in October 2024, at least 51 individuals, whose identities have been confirmed, were arrested across Iran by security forces. The majority of those arrested were Balochs, with 21 cases, making up 41% of the total.   

Breakdown of the arrests:  

•⁠ Gender and Age: 
  - At least 6 female activists were arrested. 
  - At least 5 children were arrested.
 - Balochs:21 individuals 
  - Christian converts: 3 individuals 

The highest concentration of arrests was reported in Sistan and Baluchistan Province. 

Geographical Distribution of Arrests: 

      •    Sistan and Baluchistan: 21 cases 

    •    Kurdistan (Sanandaj): 12 cases 

    •    West Azerbaijan (Urmia): 7 cases (all Kurds) 

    •    Tehran: 4 cases 

    •    Mazandaran: 3 cases 

    •    Alborz: 1 case (1 Kurd) 

    •    Lorestan, Gilan, and Fars: 1 case each 

80% of the Arrested Were Kurds and Baloch 

 At least 21 Baloch and 20 Kurds were arrested in October by security forces of Islamic Republic of Iran. Additionally, 4 Gilaks, representing 8% of the total, were also arrested. 

Arrests of Religious Minorities: 

In October, at least one Baha’i activist and three Christian converts were arrested:   

    •    Baha’i Activist: Behrad Azargan from Tehran 

    •    Christian Converts: Ali Malamiri, Jahangir Alikhani, and Gholam Es-haqi from Nowshahr 

Arrest of 6 women activists and 5 children in October 2024: 

At least six female activists, comprising 12% of the total detentions in October, were arrested. They include:   

    •    Zahra Sajedi-Nia and Maliheh Abdolghaderi from Bukan 

    •    Motahreh Gonaei and Naireh Behbood from Tehran 

    •    Kosar Dehban-Zadeh from Shiraz 

    •    Nasrin Shakerami from Khorramabad 

Additionally, at least 5 Baloch children were arrested in October 2024: 

    1.    Abdolmoemer Shahbakhsh, 13, from Zahedan 

    2.    Mohammad Rasool Shahbakhsh, 17, from Zahedan 

    3.    Adnan Nowtakzehi, 17, from Rask 

    4.    Amir Hossein Darfash, 17, from Zahedan 

    5.    Benyamin Ejbari, 18, from Zahedan 

Arrest of Students: 

At least one student, identified as Motahareh Gonaei, was arrested in October.   

Detention of Writers and Artists: 

At least two researchers and one Baloch writer were arrested in October: 

    •    Mohammad Ahmadi from Tehran 

    •    Azhdar Piri from Urmia, residing in Karaj 

    •    Karim Bakhsh Kurdi Kamandani, a Baloch writer 

The identities of all these 51 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.