Exclusive: Details of the Arrest of Hananeh Kiya's Family from a Relative's Perspective

Following the arrest of four members of Hananeh Kiya's family, a relative of the deceased protester told Voice of America that Islamic Republic forces, after the arrests, on Tuesday cut the door and searched Hananeh's parents' house. Hossein Kiya, a relative of Hananeh Kiya, explained in an interview with Voice of America on Tuesday, September 6, the details of the arrest of her father, mother, sister, and husband, emphasizing that the pressure on the families of the victims and the arrest of those seeking justice is due to their 'social authority' among the people, especially in the wake of the killing of Mahsa Amini and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' revolution. Hossein Kiya explained that on Sunday 'around noon,' plainclothes forces arrived at this grieving family's home with two or three cars and arrested them. According to him, the arrest of Amir Kiya, Hananeh's husband, occurred a few hours after the arrest of her father, mother, and sister, who is a fifteen-year-old teenager. Hossein Kiya told Voice of America that the arresting forces transferred Helia, Hananeh Kiya's teenage sister, from Nowshahr to Shahsavar (Tonekabon), and 'Vahid and Masoumeh,' the parents of the deceased protester, were taken 'to Sari or Tehran,' with no information available about Amir Kiya's place of detention. He noted that it is unclear which agency arrested the Kiya family members and on what charges, adding that on Tuesday morning, 'plainclothes forces broke the door and entered the house and searched it.' Kiya added: 'The families seeking justice are under pressure due to the anniversary of Mahsa and their own children, and the security forces want to end everything quietly and, in their view, without hassle.' He stated, 'People have moved beyond the Islamic Republic in their minds, and one day they will also move beyond it on paper.' Hossein Kiya recalled an execution of a relative in the 1980s, emphasizing that the difference now compared to forty years ago lies in the 'social authority' of the families seeking justice among the people. According to Amir, Hananeh Kiya's fiancé, the 22-year-old protester was killed on September 30, 2022, in Nowshahr while running in the street holding his hand. Hundreds of protesters at a memorial held for Hananeh Kiya in Nowshahr chanted against Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, 'Seyyed Ali must go.'