Newroz Crackdown in Kurdistan: At Least 9 People, Including Two Teenagers, Arrested in Mariwan Over Two Days
Over the course of two days — March 21 and 22, 2025 — the city of Mariwan witnessed a wave of widespread arrests of Kurdish citizens. These detentions were primarily carried out through summonses to the Intelligence Office or raids by security forces without judicial warrants, and were mostly aimed at preventing the celebration of Newroz and suppressing peaceful cultural activities.
On Saturday, March 22, Kaveh Dastan, a resident of Ney village in Mariwan and an environmental activist affiliated with the Chya Green Association, was arrested without a warrant by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.
On Friday, March 21, Tahsin Dadras, a former political prisoner from Sardush village, was arrested at his workplace without a judicial warrant and transferred to an unknown location. He had previously been released from Mariwan prison in June 2021 following a judicial pardon.
Later the same day, Belal Dadras, Tahsin’s brother, was also arrested under similar circumstances at his workplace and taken to an unknown location.
On the same day, three other citizens — Mohammad Nikpey, Aram Nikpey, and Mohammad Eshtak — all residents of Ney village, were arrested following summonses to the Intelligence Office in Mariwan.
On Saturday, March 22, Mohammad Ghaderi, a 17-year-old from Sardush village, was arrested after being summoned via phone call to the Intelligence Office. Informed sources report that his arrest was related to his participation in a Newroz ceremony in his village.
That same day, Mohammad Nikpey (28 years old, married, and father of two) and Keyhan Tadberi (17 years old, son of Abdullah), also from Ney village, were summoned and arrested. According to reports, Keyhan Tadberi has been transferred to the Sanandaj Juvenile Correction and Rehabilitation Center.
As of the time of this report, no official information has been released regarding the reasons for these arrests, the charges filed, or the legal status of those detained.
