Saqqez: Amjad Salehzadeh Temporarily Released After Four Months of Arbitrary Detention

On Saturday, May 24, 2025, Amjad Salehzadeh, a Kurdish citizen from Saqqez, was temporarily released on 250 million toman bail after four months of arbitrary detention. He had recently been transferred from the Shahramfar Detention Center in Sanandaj to Saqqez Prison.

According to Kurdpa, on April 25, 2025, it was reported that Salehzadeh, a 38-year-old, son of Ahmad, was arrested by security forces on Tuesday, January 23, 2025, and had remained in arbitrary detention at Shahramfar, a facility controlled by the IRGC Intelligence Organization in Sanandaj. His detention order had been extended for an additional month.

The temporary detention order was extended three times by security authorities. During his detention, Salehzadeh was denied access to legal counsel and family visits, and he was reportedly subjected to pressure and torture to extract forced confessions.

On January 23, 2025, he was violently arrested at his workplace without a court order, and security agents later raided his home and conducted a full search.

As of now, no official charges or reasons for Salehzadeh's arrest have been disclosed.

Background: Previous Case and Conviction

In April 2024, Amjad Salehzadeh had previously been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Saqqez Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Javad Mostafaei, to three months in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” This sentence was later converted to a fine of 160 million rials under the Law for Reduction of Sentences.

Subsequently, under Article 442, his fine was reduced to 120 million rials, which was enforced on May 13, 2024, by Branch 2 of the Criminal Enforcement Office of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Saqqez.

Earlier, on March 16, 2023, Salehzadeh had been summoned to the Saqqez Intelligence Office, interrogated for a day, and then released on bail pending trial.

His preliminary interrogation session had been held on February 22, 2024, at Branch 1 of the Saqqez Prosecutor’s Office, where he was again charged with “propaganda against the regime.”