In the past few days, security forces have arrested at least seven Kurdish civil and cultural activists in Kangavar, Kermanshah, and Koohdasht. There is no information available on the fate of several of them.

An anonymous source, who did not want to be identified for security reasons, has told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that on July 05, security forces had attacked the houses of a number of cultural activists in three cities of Kangavar, Kermanshah and Koohdasht simultaneously and arrested a number of activists who were planning to hold a gathering in Xuindewan in Ilam.

According to this source, the security forces, who introduced themselves as officers of the Islamic Republic of Guards Corps (IRGC), raided the house of “Mostafa Bagheri Ashnah” in Kangavar, and arrested this cultural activist while inspecting the house and seizing some of his personal belongings. The forces also attacked a cultural activist in Kermanshah and arrested four of his guests called “Shahriar Tahmasebi”,”Seyyed Ardeshir Mousavi”in addition to two other guests who had not been identified yet. The forces transferred the arrested people to the Security Detention Centre at the Naft Square.

According to the source, security forces in the city of Koohdasht have also arrested two activists, called Bijan Gravand and Mehdi Azadbakht.

“Yesterday, Mustafa Bagheri Ashnah, has briefly called his family and informed them that he had been held at a security detention centre known as the “Naft square Detention Centre.”, the source said about the charges against this detained activists and his whereabouts. Meanwhile, after the follow-up of his family from the court and the Intelligence Office, they have been told that the charges brought forward against these cultural activists included “holding gatherings and collusion against national security” and “dissemination of lies for the purpose of disturbing public opinion.

The source concluded that following the “Xuindewan conference”, which was supposed to be held on “the significance of the Kurdish literature and poetry” in Ilam City following a call from Literary Society of Xuindewan stud, was cancelled a few days before the date of the conference due to the pressures of Security Institutions although the Office of the Islamic Culture and Guidance had issued the necessary permit for holding this conference.

It should be noted that Shahriar Tahmasbi was detained for some time following last month’s protest against the killings of kolbars but he was released on bail later.