Arrest of 8 Labor and Civil Activists in Sanandaj

The Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported the violent arrest of 8 labor and civil activists in the city of Sanandaj by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence. According to Hengaw, the agents of the Sanandaj Intelligence Department arrested these activists at the home of the father of Houman Abdollahi, one of the victims of the nationwide protests, after beating them. The report states that Farshid Abdollahi, the father of the deceased protester who hosted these activists, was also beaten by security agents. Hengaw has identified the arrested labor and civil activists as Kamal Karimi, Shadman Abdi, Abdollah Khairabadi, Sirvan Mahmoudi, Iqbal Pishkari, Hajar Saidi, Khabat Mahmoudi, and Habibollah Karimi. No information has been released regarding the reason for the arrests or the location of these 8 activists from Sanandaj. Hajar Saidi and Habibollah Karimi had previously been summoned and arrested multiple times due to their activities. Earlier, several teacher and labor activists were arrested on the eve of International Workers' Day, May 1, when they visited the family of Mohammad Habibi, the imprisoned spokesperson of the Teachers' Trade Association. Many of the detainees were released or freed on heavy bail, while Kamyar Fakour and his wife, Sarvnaz Ahmadi, were sent to prison to serve their sentences. Security and judicial actions in Iran have intensified alongside the expansion of labor protests. Meanwhile, the Coordinating Council of Cultural Associations of Iran reported that Aziz Qasemzadeh, a teacher and labor activist, informed his family that he had been transferred to the solitary confinement of the IRGC Intelligence in Gilan for interrogation. A few days ago, it was reported that he had been moved from Lakan Prison in Rasht to an unknown location. According to this report, Aqili Qasemzadeh emphasized his good mental state while protesting the approach of the security institution and his transfer from Lakan Prison to a security wing. The Coordinating Council of Cultural Associations of Iran condemned the fabrication of cases against activists and urged the judiciary not to further question its independence, calling for his return to Lakan Prison in Rasht. The Iranian Writers' Association called for the halt of the 'repressive machine of the Islamic Republic.' Three weeks of uncertainty regarding Aziz Qasemzadeh; a request for the return of this labor activist to Lakan Prison. Fatemeh Sepehri's brother: My sister's life is in danger. The annual report of 'International Religious Freedom' regarding Iran; extensive restrictions on minorities. The Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced Anisha Asadollahi, a labor activist, to five years in prison.