ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran has launched a new wave of arrests and executions targeting Kurdish citizens and political prisoners, in what human rights groups describe as an escalating crackdown expected to intensify in the coming weeks.
According to Hengaw, a Kurdish human rights organization that monitors violations across Iran - particularly in Kurdish-majority western regions known as Rojhelat - authorities have recently detained several Kurdish civilians without due process.
The group reported on Sunday that Vahid Boroumand and Ezzedin Pasu-Pish, two Kurds from Piranshahr, and Sayed Anwar Alavi from Oshnavieh in West Azerbaijan province, “have been arrested following raids on their homes by government forces and transferred to an undisclosed location.”
Boroumand, a father of two, reportedly had his home searched and personal belongings confiscated during the arrest “while creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation,” Hengaw stated. Authorities have not disclosed the charges or whereabouts of the detainees.
The arrests come alongside a surge in executions. Iran has executed several political prisoners since the outbreak of war on February 28, with more than 14 others - many accused of collaborating with Israel - reportedly hanged in recent days.
Concerns are mounting over the fate of Naser Bakrzadeh, a 26-year-old Kurdish prisoner whose death sentence has been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court.