Iranian authorities have arrested 11 more Kurdish activists and civilians in recent days, bringing the total number of detainees to at least 21, as part of a wider crackdown on Newroz celebrations in Kurdish cities.
The detainees – Shno Mohammadi, Zahed Shahabi, Behzad Dafei, Karvan Dafei, Saheb (Arivan) Shakeri, Shirvan Heydari, Edris Heydari, Sirvan Hatami, Mahmoud Naderi, Keyvan Minouei, and Asaad Baba-Karami – were taken into custody by security forces in the cities of Sanandaj, Marivan, and Saqqez in Kurdistan Province and taken to undisclosed locations.
Raids and Arrests
On 22 March, Mahmoud Naderi, a civilian from the village of Dadaneh Kamangar in Sanandaj, was summoned and arrested by the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Sanandaj, just two weeks after his release.
On the same day, Asaad Baba-Karami, a civilian from Sanandaj, was arrested without a warrant by security forces.
On 23 March, security forces arrested civil rights activists Shno Mohammadi and her husband, Saheb (Arivan) Shakeri, without a warrant at their home in the Haji Abad neighbourhood of Sanandaj.
On the same day, three others – Sirvan Hatami, Shirvan Heydari, and Edris Heydari – were arrested in the village of Avihang in Sanandaj.
At the same time, security forces arrested Kurdish language teacher Keyvan Minouei, along with Behzad Dafei, a doctor and former political prisoner, and his brother Karvan Dafei, in Marivan
In the early hours of 24 March, security forces raided the Rah-e Azadi (Path of Freedom) religious lodge in Saqqez, arresting Sheikh Zahed Shahabi and taking him to the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in the city. Witnesses reported that agents insulted those present during the raid.
Despite increasing security pressures, summonses, and arrests, large crowds have continued to participate in Newroz celebrations across Kurdistan, with events still taking place in some areas.
Government Response
On 23 March, Sanandaj Prosecutor Mohammad Jabbari confirmed the arrest of seven people in connection with the Newroz celebrations.
“Since late February 2025, the judiciary of Kurdistan Province has been identifying and confronting individuals who sought to exploit Newroz celebrations for anti-regime propaganda, social disruption, and acts of defiance. Under the directives of the Chief Justice of the province and with the involvement of the prosecutor’s office, the main organisers and instigators have been identified and about seven of them have been arrested”, Jabbari told state media.
