Iran arrests seven Kurdish civilians in northwest

Iranian security forces have arrested seven Kurdish civilians in the northwest cities of Mahabad, Piranshahr, Sanandaj and Marivan as part of a recent crackdown.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that Yousef Bakri from Mahabad in West Azerbaijan province and Arman Nikpey from the village of Ney in Marivan, Kurdistan province, were arrested on 12 July without a judicial order.

On 11 July, civilians Mamand Ghoreishi and Jamal Bayazidi were also arrested without warrants in Mahabad.

Similarly, Taha Karimi and Mokhtar Sharifi were arrested on 9 and 10 July, respectively, without a judicial order in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, and the village of Salyan in Sanandaj.

On 10 July, Hiva Darkhordi, a civilian from Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, was also arrested.

The reason for the arrests and the location of detention of these individuals is still unknown.

The KHRN has recorded that at least 14 civilians, including Sunni clerics and Kurdish journalists, were arrested by security forces in Tehran, Piranshahr, Oshnavieh, Mahabad, Sanandaj, and Marivan over the past five days.