One year of silence: Enforced disappearance of Kurdish political and human Rights activist Zhakan Baran

March 23, 2025, marks one year since the enforced disappearance of Zhakan Baran, a Kurdish political and human rights activist. Since his disappearance, despite persistent efforts by his family and the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, no information has surfaced regarding his fate.

Security threats and forced departure from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Hossein Bagheri, known as Zhakan Baran, 42, a collaborator with Hengaw and a political activist from Ilam, was forced to leave Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on March 4, 2024, due to direct security threats from the Islamic Republic of Iran. He planned to cross into Turkey via an unofficial border route and eventually reach a safe country in Europe.

In his last known contact, Baran stated that after several failed attempts to cross the border, he intended to return to Soran, a border town in the Iraqi Kurdistan. Since that message, no trace of him has been found.

Before leaving the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Zhakan Baran recorded a video message in which he named the person responsible for helping him cross the border. He emphasized that if the video were to be released, it would indicate that this person or his associates had caused him harm.

Evidence of Iran’s role in Zhakan Baran’s disappearance

According to extensive research and documentation, Hengaw holds the Islamic Republic of Iran directly responsible for the enforced disappearance of Zhakan Baran.

Credible sources report that the person who convinced Baran to cross the border illegally was an operative of Iranian security agencies.

Following inquiries by Baran’s relatives, this person resorted to threats, insults, and intimidation. In his latest statements, he claimed that Zhakan Baran had returned to Iran and is now in Ilam—an assertion for which there is no evidence. His family remains completely in the dark about his whereabouts.

Threats, family hostage-taking, and systematic repression

Due to his civil activism and role in organizing protests in Ilam during the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement, Zhakan Baran had repeatedly received death threats and warnings of abduction from Iranian security forces.

In a clear instance of official intimidation, Abdolvahab Bakhshandeh, the chief prosecutor of Ilam Province, publicly threatened to arrest Baran and “bring him to justice” on Iranian state television during the height of the movement.

The policy of taking activists’ family members hostage was also used against Zhakan Baran. During peak protests, Iranian security forces abducted his brother and sister—Hassan Bagheri (38) and Fariba Bagheri (35)—in Malekshahi, using them as leverage to silence him. This constitutes collective punishment and a blatant violation of international human rights conventions.

International efforts to determine Zhakan Baran’s fate

Over the past year, Hengaw has conducted extensive investigations in Iran, the Iraqi Kurdistan, and Germany to uncover leads regarding Zhakan Baran’s fate.

In recent months, credible information has emerged that Iranian security agencies have summoned several activists and detainees from the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, warning them that if they continue their political and civil activities, they could face the same fate as Zhakan Baran—disappearing without even a trace of a body.

On the international front, Hengaw has appealed to members of the German parliament, urging them to pressure the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Turkish government, and the Kurdistan Regional Government to disclose information about Baran’s fate.

A History of arrests, torture, and repression

First arrest: On December 16, 2017, Baran was detained by security forces at his family home in Ilam on charges of “acting against national security” and “insulting religious sanctities.”

Second arrest: One month later, he was arrested again on similar charges and later released on bail.

Third arrest: On March 19, 2019, Baran was arrested in Malekshahi for protesting the suppression of Newroz celebrations. He was released on April 7, 2019, after a 10-day hunger strike.

Forced migration: Ongoing threats eventually forced him to leave Iran and seek refuge in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Despite having a physical disability resulting from a car accident at age 17, Zhakan Baran remained an active campaigner. In protest over the treatment of refugees, he once sewed his lips shut and went on a hunger strike following the self-immolation of another asylum seeker.

During the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, Baran played a key role in organizing protests and reporting on repression, killings, and arrests in Ilam Province.

The Islamic Republic of Iran accused of committing the crime of Enforced Disappearance

According to Article 2 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, any abduction, denial of legal protection, and refusal to disclose information about an individual’s fate or whereabouts constitutes enforced disappearance—a crime under international law.

Based on available evidence, Hengaw considers the Islamic Republic of Iran responsible for the abduction and enforced disappearance of Zhakan Baran and calls for urgent international action to uncover his fate.

Calls on the international community
    1.    European governments, the United Nations, and the UN Human Rights Committee must demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran provide accurate information on Zhakan Baran’s fate.
    2.    An independent fact-finding committee should be established to investigate his enforced disappearance.
    3.    Diplomatic and legal pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran should be intensified due to its severe human rights violations.

Hengaw remains committed to using all its legal and media capacities at the international level until the fate of its colleague is clarified. The organization will continue its efforts to pressure the Iranian state, the Turkish government, and the Kurdistan Regional Government and urges all human rights institutions, governments, and international organizations to take concrete action to hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable and put an end to its policies of repression and enforced disappearance. Silence in the face of such crimes only emboldens the regime’s oppressive tactics.