Whereabouts of Kurdish retired teacher and civil rights activist Salman Olfati, who was arrested by the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Gilan-e Gharb, Kermanshah Province, on 12 April, remain unknown.
Olfati, 60, was arrested on a street in Gilan-e Gharb and taken to an undisclosed location.
IRGC intelligence agents also conducted a raid on the activist’s family home without presenting a judicial warrant.
Efforts by Olfati’s family to obtain information about his situation from local security authorities and the city court have so far been unsuccessful.
Olfati’s detention comes following his public criticism of IRGC and security forces’ threats and pressures to prevent Newroz (also known as Nowruz in Persian) ceremonies, organised by civil rights and cultural activists in Gilan-e Gharb.
This is not the first time Olfati has faced such circumstances. He was previously arrested by security forces on 15 May 2023 and released on bail from Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah after several weeks.
