Ministry of Intelligence forces have arrested at least 11 Kurdish citizens in Oshnavieh, Bukan, Miandoab and Mahabad in West Azerbaijan Province.
Those arrested are Sedigh Karimi, Masoud Alani Kohneh-Ghaleh, Hadi Azizi, Omid Chavbazi, Amir Soleymani, Mohammad Hajizadeh, Shwana Divazi, Loghman Ghorbani, Rahman Khouzan, Esmaeil Badsar and Zakaria Badsar.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that, on 13 August, Ministry of Intelligence forces arrested four citizen from Bukan: Shwana Divazi, Loghman Ghorbani, former political prisoner Sedigh Karimi and Hadi Azizi.
A day later, the forces raided family homes and arrested Rahman Khouzan, from the village of Gol Marzanik in Bukan; Omid Chavbazi, from Bukan; and Mohammad Hajizadeh, from the village of Gavmish Goli in Miandoab.
On 15 August, Ministry of Intelligence forces raided Zakaria Badsar’s family home in Bukan to arrest him.
When they found that he was not there, they arrested his father, Esmaeil Badsar, and held him hostage. Zakaria Badsar turned himself in at the Intelligence Ministry office in Bukan several hours later, after which his father was released.
On the same day, security forces arrested Amir Soleymani, from the village of Khorkhoreh in Mahabad, at his family home.
Ministry of Intelligence forces also arrested Kurdish singer Masoud Alani Kohneh-Ghaleh, from Oshnavieh, at a café in the city at noon.
Following his arrest, the forces raided his family home and confiscated several personal items belonging to members of his family, including their mobile phones.
Alani Kohneh-Ghaleh has repeatedly been summoned and arrested in recent years over composing Kurdish epic and revolutionary songs.
The forces arrested the 11 Kurdish citizens without warrants and used violence during the arrests.
Despite repeated visits and continued enquiries by their families, the security and judicial authorities have refused to respond or provide any explanation.
At the time of writing, no information was available regarding the reasons for their arrests or the charges brought against them.
