Following the gathering of Kurdish citizens in various cities of Kurdistan to celebrate and support the referendum for Kurdistan Independence on the evening of Monday, Sept 25, 2017, anti-riot police forces arrested thousands of citizens. There is still no information on the fate of detainees who were then transferred to the Security and Intelligence Police Detention Centres.

“A week after the gathering of the Iranian Kurdish citizens in support of Kurdistan Independence, dozens of Kurdish citizens are still being held in the Detention Centres of various Kurdish cities including Javanroud, Kamyaran, Sanandaj, Marivan, Saghez, Baneh, Mahabad and Piranshahr. Several detainees released recently have reported that they had been tortured by security forces while there is still no information on the fate of most detainees,” various sources told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).

According to reports obtained by Kurdistan Human Rights Network, a number of Kurdish detainees arrested in Sardasht during the past few days have been summoned and Interrogated at the Intelligence headquarters for participating in these gatherings while being obliged not to participate in such gatherings in the future.

KHRN has identified 11 citizens who were recently summoned to the court as Rebin Borghi, Omar Ghale Rashi, Davood Mahmoudi Khah, Anvar Afkandi, Farzad Khezri, Azad Khezri, Navid Sadighi, Khaled Birang, Mohammad Sheykhe Pour, Asoo (family name unknown) and Janvroo (family name unknown).

According to reports, security forces in Saghez arrested at least 15 Kurdish citizens including Sarina Fathi, Bakhtiyar Khoshnham, Hiva Dambaz, Hamid Rezaei, Jalas Kasenzani, Ayub Hosseinzadeh, Shaho Salehi, Adel Karimi, Yadollah Karimi, Hayman Karimi, Bahaddin, Ali Hosseini, Khalid Alipour, Ata Rahmanzadeh and Hajir Moloodi on charges of participating in the street celebrations on the 26th, 27th and 28th of September.

According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, at least eight other citizens have been arrested in Baneh. One of the detainees called Mansour Esarari was released after several hours while seven others were transferred from Baneh Intelligence Detention Centre to the prison on bai condition. KHRB has identified the other 7 detainees as Fouad Hossein Zadeh, Zanjan Maroufi, Soroush Mohammadi, Danial Ahmadi, Sarou Ahmadi, Hoshyar Shabani and Naseh Khazari.

A number of the detainees in Sanandaj were also released on bail but some are still being held in the Intelligence Detention Centre of Sanandaj without permission to visit and contact their family. Sina Jansalimi, Arsalan Alimoradi and Heiman Korcouri have been released during the past few days. However, there is still no information on the fate of Moslem Saiedpour, Peyman Menger, Ahmad Monbari and Shahram Babaei.

Also in Bokan, a detained citizen called Zahed Ahmadinejad was transferred to a security detention facility for interrogation.

“On Tuesday, 4th of September, the Marivan Intelligence Office summoned two civilians including Saman Karimi and Vera Delangiz for interrogations on charges of participation in the celebration in Marivan. Saman Karimi was released after several hours of interrogation but Vera Delangiz has been transferred to the Intelligence detention centre for further interrogations,” An informed source in Marivan told KHRN.

Moreover, Ronak Aghayi (a former political prisoner of the 1980s) arrested on Sept 25, 2017 during the streets calibration in Mahabad was transferred from the prison to the Intelligence detention centre of the Orumiyeh.