Arrest of Two Women in Saqqez and Piranshahr; Number of Detained Kurds Reaches 490 in Five Months

Human rights agencies have reported the arrest of two citizens from Kurdistan province this week in Saqqez and Piranshahr. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, security forces visited the homes of Shahla Chopani and Soraya Qaytaran without presenting a judicial order, arresting them and transferring them to an unknown location. The report states that Shahla Chopani, a resident of Saqqez, was arrested on Tuesday, July 6, and Soraya Qaytaran, from the village of 'Kani Malla' in the Piranshahr district, was arrested on Monday, July 5. Two brothers of Soraya Qaytaran, named Abdulrahman Qaytaran and Sadruddin Qaytaran, were also arrested on June 21. So far, no information has been released regarding the charges against these citizens or their place of detention. Recently, the Kurdistan Human Rights Association published a detailed report on human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan during the first five months of the current calendar year. According to this report, alongside the continued security approach of the Islamic Republic towards Kurds and other ethnic and religious groups in Iran, at least 140 Kurdish citizens have been killed during the nationwide protests. The Kurdistan Human Rights Association noted that these citizens were killed between September 19, 2022, and May 23, 2023. Based on this report, during the first five months of the current calendar year, from January 1, 2023, to May 23, 2023, at least 490 Kurdish citizens, including 36 women and 29 religious leaders, have been arrested. The U.S. State Department's Office of Religious Freedom recently referenced numerous violations and repression of religious freedoms by the Islamic Republic of Iran in a report. Following the publication of this report, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the 'enduring commitment' of the U.S. government to defend the right to religious freedom, stating that Washington stands with religious freedom activists and people whose religious rights are violated.