Iranian security forces have launched a new wave of arrests targeting Kurdish citizens and activists, detaining at least four more people in recent days in Mahabad and Piranshahr and transferring them to undisclosed locations.
In the early hours of 29 October, Ministry of Intelligence agents raided the home of Sirwan Shawleh in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, and arrested her without a warrant.
Shawleh had previously been summoned for interrogation at the Ministry’s office in Mahabad on 5 February, where she was threatened.
Her husband, Jalal Sadafi, has been held in Mahabad Prison in a state of uncertainty since his arrest by the same agency on 15 December 2024.
The following day, in the early hours of 30 October, Ministry of Intelligence forces carried out coordinated raids in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, arresting Raouf Farrokhi, Vahab Mohammadpour, and Rahim Rahmani.
The three men were then taken to the Ministry’s detention facility in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that dozens of agents raided the three-storey home of Mohammad-Amin Farrokhi, a citizen from Piranshahr, breaking doors and windows and arresting his son Raouf along with Mohammadpour.
Simultaneously, agents raided the village of Zangabad in Piranshahr, where they arrested Rahmani without a warrant.
Several drones belonging to the Ministry of Intelligence offices in Piranshahr and Orumiyeh reportedly flew over the homes during the operations, while agents insulted family members and seized personal belongings.
Sources said that security forces later told the Farrokhi family that Avareh Farrokhi, a family member who was not at home during the raid, must report to the Ministry’s office in Piranshahr.
Mohammadpour had previously been arrested during the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Women, Life, Freedom) protests in December 2022 in Piranshahr, and was released from Naqadeh Prison on bail after three months.
According to figures collected by the KHRN, at least 10 Kurdish citizens and activists have been arrested by Ministry of Intelligence forces in Bukan, Piranshahr, Mahabad, and Kamyaran over the past three days.
