Baneh: Violent Arrest of Former Political Prisoner Houshyar Shabani After Security Forces Shoot Him in the Leg
On Wednesday, August 19, 2025, Houshyar Shabani, a former political prisoner and Kurdish citizen from Baneh, was shot and violently arrested by security forces. He was injured and subsequently taken to an undisclosed location without a warrant.
According to a source who spoke to Kurdpa, around 1:00 PM, two vehicles carrying security forces intercepted Shabani near Kani-Sur, a town in Baneh County. After firing warning shots into the air, they directly shot him in the leg, seriously wounding him. Security forces then forcibly arrested him without presenting a judicial warrant and transferred him to an unknown location.
As of the time of this report, no information is available regarding Shabani’s condition or whereabouts, nor the charges against him.
Ongoing Threats and Harassment Prior to His Arrest
Houshyar Shabani, 31, son of Mohammad and from Baneh, has long been under pressure, surveillance, and threat by Iranian security forces, facing multiple arrests, fabricated charges, torture, and denial of legal rights.
Since early July 2025, pressure from the Intelligence Department had increased. In several instances, security agents raided the homes of Shabani’s relatives and friends in attempts to arrest him.
On June 28, 2025, a 20-man unit stormed a relative’s home where Shabani had just left moments earlier. Authorities also called and threatened his relatives in nearby villages, warning them not to maintain contact or urging them to hand him over.
On July 10, 2025, security agents again raided his home in Baneh under the pretense of legal procedures—part of a pattern going back at least two years, including a raid during the anniversary of the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi uprising in 2023, when his belongings were confiscated and a new case was fabricated.
Case File 2023: Prosecution and Threats
In late November 2023, Shabani was summoned to Branch 1 of the Baneh Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office on charges of “propaganda against the regime.”
Previously, on September 4, 2023, security forces raided his home but failed to arrest him. They then filed charges against him.
On December 14, 2023, nine intelligence agents disguised as water company employees raided his family home, searched the property, and forced his family to sign a written pledge to turn him over to the Baneh Intelligence Office.
Case File 2021: Torture, Detention, and Sentencing
On Thursday, August 26, 2021, Shabani was arbitrarily arrested without a warrant by security forces and taken to a detention center in Baneh.
By mid-November 2021, he was hospitalized at Salah al-Din Ayyubi Hospital in Baneh due to severe stomach bleeding caused by torture during interrogation. He remained under tight security for three days, then was returned to the detention center. His family was not allowed to visit him during hospitalization.
On Sunday, November 14, 2021, he was released on bail pending trial.
He was allowed only one phone call during his entire detention and was denied access to a lawyer and family visits.
Later, the Revolutionary Court of Saqqez (sitting in Baneh), presided over by Judge Akbar Mirzaei, sentenced Shabani to one year in prison for “propaganda against the regime.” He was acquitted of the charge of “collaborating with Kurdish opposition parties.”
The court suspended eight months of the sentence for five years, under the condition that Shabani report regularly to the Baneh Intelligence Office and submit documentation to the Criminal Enforcement Unit.
On February 7, 2023, he was re-arrested to serve his sentence and transferred to Baneh Prison.
Other Arrests and Pressures (2017–2019)
Between 2017 and 2019, Shabani was repeatedly detained for civil activities including campaigns in support of kolbars (cross-border porters) and bazaar merchant strikes.
His first known arrest occurred on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, when intelligence forces detained him and took him to an unknown location. His fate remained unclear for weeks, and his family’s efforts to obtain information yielded no results.
Condemnation by Human Rights Organization
Kurdpa Human Rights Organization has strongly condemned the violent and arbitrary arrest of Houshyar Shabani, describing the shooting of an unarmed civilian as a gross violation of the right to life, bodily integrity, and the absolute ban on torture under international law.
Kurdpa emphasized that this incident is a clear example of arbitrary arrest and unlawful use of deadly force against civilians, and a serious breach of Iran’s international human rights obligations.
The organization expressed deep concern for Shabani’s physical condition and safety, as he was injured and forcibly taken to an undisclosed location, with no update on his fate as of this report.
Compiled by: Awin Mostafazadeh
