In a significant turn, seven Kurdish civilians hailing from Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, have secured provisional release on bail from prisons in Mahabad and Orumiyeh, while six others remain behind bars. The released individuals include Nazanin Elyasi, Shwana Jahanifar, Rahman Dana, Yousef Ghal, Abdollah Houshmand, Zanyar Seyyed-Ahmadi, and Hawre Ghoveh, each bailed at 30 billion rials, equivalent to nearly 30,000 USD.
Elyasi, specifically, was liberated on 10 April from the women’s section of Orumiyeh Central Prison. She was initially arrested on 16 December 2024, under dubious circumstances involving a summons by the Ministry of Intelligence. Meanwhile, Ghoveh and Houshmand’s arrests occurred on 28 October 2024 on the Mahabad-Piranshahr road, as they were confronted by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Intelligence.
The rest of the detainees faced arrests during raids; Dana and Jahanifar were taken by Ministry agents on 15 December, whilst Zanyar, Aram Mabzouleh, and Yousef Ghal were captured without warrants a day earlier in the village of Beyram. Many suffered weeks of physical and psychological torture in the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre, aimed at extracting confessions.
The six detainees remaining in custody—Kharamanfar, Shams-Borhan, Sadafi, Maroufi, Mabzouleh, and Abdollah Ghoveh—endured similar treatment before their transfer to Mahabad Prison. Although bail was set at 30 billion rials for some, others continue to languish under temporary detention orders, having been denied family visits and legal counsel during their time in the detention centre.
Seven Kurdish detainees have been provisionally released on bail from prisons in West Azerbaijan Province, while six remain in custody. The released included Nazanin Elyasi and several others, all bailed at 30 billion rials. Their arrests, conducted primarily by the Ministry of Intelligence, involved rights violations and torturous interrogations, raising serious concerns about the treatment of Kurdish civilians.
In summary, the release of seven Kurdish civilians highlights ongoing tensions within the region, illustrating the serious challenges faced by detainees under the Ministry of Intelligence. While some have achieved temporary freedom, others remain in custody, grappling with the severe repercussions of their detentions, which include ongoing human rights violations and a lack of legal support. This situation calls for urgent attention to the rights of all detainees in this turbulent milieu.
Original Source: kurdistanhumanrights.org
