Continued Arrests of Women Activists in Kurdistan: Detention of Leila Pashaei Brings Total Detainees to Four

The wave of arrests targeting women activists in Kurdistan Province continues, with the recent detention of Leila Pashaei, a women’s rights advocate from Sanandaj. Her arrest brings the number of women activists detained in the province to four in a single day.

According to Kurdpa, on Monday, March 10, 2025, Leila Pashaei was arrested by security forces without a judicial warrant and taken to an undisclosed location. She had previously been detained during the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” uprising on September 22, 2024, in Sanandaj, and was released on bail on October 4, 2024.

The other activists arrested on the same day include Soheila Motaei, Souma Mohammadrezaei, and Baran Saedi. Reports suggest that these arrests are linked to the organization of International Women’s Day events held in Sanandaj on March 8.

On the morning of March 10, 2025, Souma Mohammadrezaei, a 37-year-old civil and women’s rights activist from Sanandaj, was arrested at her workplace by security forces, also without a judicial warrant, and taken to an unknown location.

Likewise, Soheila Motaei, a civil and women’s rights activist from Dehgolan, was detained the same day under similar circumstances. Ms. Motaei had previously been arrested twice in connection with the general strike on January 23, 2025, in Kurdistan, and was temporarily released after court proceedings. She was also arrested twice during the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” uprising and subsequently sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Also on March 10, Baran Saedi, another civil and women’s rights activist based in Sanandaj, was arrested after security forces raided her home and confiscated personal belongings. She was taken to an undisclosed location. Ms. Saedi had previously been arrested at her home on September 20, 2022, during the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” protests and was held at the Sanandaj Correctional and Rehabilitation Center. She was released on bail after nearly two months of detention.

On March 7, 2025, a large gathering of women’s and civil rights activists took place in Sanandaj, organized by seven women’s groups and organizations, alongside mothers seeking justice, environmentalists, trade unionists, and sports groups. The event, commemorating International Women’s Day, featured the reading of statements, equality-themed slogans, and saw broad participation from the public and activist community.

In the lead-up to the event, several women’s and labor activists were summoned by police and received threatening phone calls from the Ministry of Intelligence, pressuring them to sign written pledges not to participate in or organize gatherings for March 8.