October 17, 2026; In a continuation of the wave of arbitrary arrests, the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran and state-affiliated media, quoting an announcement by this security agency, reported the detention of 11 citizens in Malekshahi, a county in Ilam Province, in connection with the January 2026 protests. Attributing charges such as affiliation with "the United States and Israel" to these citizens, the agency claimed that they acted as "leaders" during the protests. Given the widespread practice of security agencies extracting forced confessions under torture and reports of holding detainees in prolonged isolation without access to legal counsel, family visits, or phone calls, grave concerns exist regarding the fate of these individuals.

State media, including the "IRNA" news agency, published the Ministry of Intelligence announcement, writing that these 11 individuals were arrested after being identified as "leaders" of the January 2026 protests in Malekshahi. The security agency leveled charges against them, including "disrupting national security and destroying public and private property," alleging that these individuals operated as "mercenaries of the US and Israel" across "three separate teams."

These claims are put forward while the names of these 11 citizens and information regarding their condition and detention facility have not been published. The Ministry of Intelligence also claimed that these individuals were in possession of "firearms and cold weapons." In light of the history of arbitrary arrests, torture, and broadcasting of forced confessions in similar cases, concerns regarding the extraction and publication of forced confessions from these citizens—especially under conditions of complete denial of access to legal counsel, family visits, phone calls, and detention in undisclosed locations—are acute.

In this context, forced confessions of several citizens previously arrested in Ilam Province were similarly broadcast on state media. On Saturday, June 20, 2025, state media—including Mizan News Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)—published a video of forced confessions from a citizen from Ilam under the title "Detention of 3 Field Leaders and 14 US-Israel Mercenaries"; terminology widely deployed by state media against protesters and detainees in recent months. Kurdpa sources confirmed the identity of this individual as "Mehdi Karimi." Prior to the release of this video, news of these individuals' arrest had been announced by the Ministry of Intelligence.
Furthermore, on September 21, 2026, the IRIB channel in Ilam Province broadcast a video showing forced confessions from two young Kurdish men from Asmanabad, Ilam, named "Yaser Havasi-zadeh" and "Younes Bekri." This took place while both citizens had been held in an undisclosed location for over a month without a single phone call to their families or access to legal counsel, giving rise to serious concerns about their fate.

Previously, the oppressive security apparatus of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic and state media reported the arrest of citizens in Ilam Province on several occasions; however, to date, the precise identities of the detainees and the fate of none of them have been independently and transparently established, with no information available regarding their current condition or place of detention:

  • March 27, 2026: The Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic announced that a total of 46 individuals were arrested across five provinces in Iran, including Ilam, labeled as "American-Zionist mercenaries and elements of terrorist groups." In the section pertaining to Ilam, it stated that 5 individuals were arrested on charges of transmitting information to "Israel," and 2 Starlink terminals were seized from them.
  • April 25, 2026: The Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of an individual labeled as "a spy" alongside 16 agents of "terrorist groups" and "enemy spotters" across five provinces. In the section concerning Ilam, an individual identified as "Omid_A" was arrested by security forces on charges of "intelligence cooperation with Mossad and transmission of information."
  • June 14, 2025: IRNA reported that in Ilam Province, an individual identified as "Ali.H"—who, according to state sources, "intended to infiltrate data centers and sensitive state systems to transfer classified information to the enemy"—was identified and arrested prior to taking any action.
Under international human rights law, practices such as detention without judicial transparency, holding individuals in undisclosed locations, denial of access to legal counsel and family contact, and the broadcasting of forced confessions prior to a court trial constitute arbitrary detention and violate the right to a fair trial. Furthermore, publishing forced confessions before guilt is proven conflicts with the presumption of innocence and the prohibition against coerced self-incrimination. In cases where families remain unaware of the whereabouts of detained individuals, such conditions can fall within the framework of enforced disappearance or similar statuses, representing one of the most severe forms of human rights violations.