Interrogation and Threats Against at Least 20 Rural Children and Adolescents in Marivan by IRGC Intelligence

According to reports, agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have summoned and interrogated at least 20 children and adolescents living in the village of "Ni" in the Marivan region of Kurdistan in recent days. The human rights organization Hengaw reported that these children and adolescents, aged between 13 and 18, were summoned and threatened between August 14 and 16, accused of alleged "propaganda activities for one of the opposition parties" against the Islamic Republic. Although details regarding the specifics of this accusation have not been disclosed. The report states that the intensity of the threats against the children and adolescents from the IRGC agents was so severe that one of the children suffered from "physical and psychological" disorders and was transferred to medical facilities for treatment. Residents of the village of "Ni" have previously been targeted by threats and intimidation from the Islamic Republic's agents. The Marivan Intelligence Office had also summoned dozens of residents of the village of "Ni" on the eve of Nowruz in 2022, threatening them with the aim of "preventing the celebration of Nowruz in this village." The Nowruz celebration in Kurdish regions of Iran is held collectively in open spaces, and in recent years, its celebration, which includes group dancing by men and women and lighting fires, has received widespread attention on social media. Conflicts between the IRGC and Kurdish opposition parties continue around the region of Oshnavieh. The ongoing detention of four political prisoners in Sanandaj has resulted in deprivation of their rights to access a lawyer and meet with their families. Amnesty International has criticized the "enforced disappearance" of a Kurdish political activist by Iranian authorities. Reuters reports that the Islamic Republic has intensified its repression of Kurds in parallel with the expansion of protests.