Security forces arrest six Kurdish civilians, whereabouts unknown

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that security forces recently arrested at least six Kurdish civilians in Bukan, Tehran, Oshnavieh, Sardasht, Piranshahr and Ilam.

Hataw Akrami, a Kurdish woman, was arrested by security forces on May 30 in Yengijeh village of Bukan, West Azerbaijan province and taken to an unknown location.

Akrami, who had lived in the Iraqi Kurdistan region for the past few years, had returned to Bukan to attend her child’s wedding.

Her arrest, which was carried out without a warrant and with the use of force, included a search of her family home.

On the same day, security forces also arrested civilian Osman Galawezhi without a warrant in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, and took him to an unknown location.

On May 31, security forces raided the home of Kurdish civilian Hamid-Reza Arvaneh in Ilam, Ilam province, and arrested him without a warrant.

Arvaneh’s arrest reportedly followed a post on his personal Instagram page about the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

In addition, on June 2, security forces searched the family home of Kurdish civilian Matin (Zanyar) Mehdizadeh in Zemeh village of Oshnavieh, West Azerbaijan province, and arrested him without a warrant.

On the same day, agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence service searched the house of Adel Haji Khelani from the village of Si Sar in Rabat, West Azerbaijan Province, and arrested him.

According to KHRN, security forces broke down doors and windows during the raid before arresting Khelani.

Eight days have now passed since security forces arrested Houshmand Moradi from Takab in West Azerbaijan province, who lives in Tehran. No information about his fate has yet been released.

Moradi had previously been arrested and severely tortured twice during the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprisings in Tehran and Sanandaj in Kurdistan Province.

On May 25, he was arrested for the third time after security forces raided his family home in Tehran without a warrant and using force.

There is currently no information on the allegations against these individuals or their whereabouts.

According to statistics compiled by KHRN, security forces arrested at least 63 people in May, including a child, activists, imams, artists and a former political prisoner.