Mahabad; Temporary Release of Kheder and Klara Rasouli on Heavy Bail After Long-Term Detention

October 19, 2025; Kheder and Klara Rasouli, two Kurdish citizens and a father and daughter from Mahabad, were temporarily released on heavy bail after a long-term arbitrary detention in one of the security detention centers in Urmia.

According to an informed source speaking to Kurpa; today, Sunday, October 19, 2025, Kheder Rasouli was temporarily released from the city's prison on heavy bail following his transfer from a security detention center in Urmia to Mahabad Prison over the past 10 days.

Additionally, Klara Rasouli, Kheder’s daughter, was released from the Central Prison of Urmia 15 days ago on heavy bail. She had been transferred to the women's ward of Urmia Prison after the completion of interrogations in one of the security detention centers in Urmia.

On August 26, 2025, Kurpa reported that after 48 days of the arbitrary and violent detention of Kheder Rasouli (born 1956) and Klara Rasouli (born 1988), they were still being held illegally in a security detention center in Urmia. They were deprived of the right to contact or meet with their family and access to a lawyer. The family was deeply concerned about their fate and condition, especially since Kheder Rasouli had undergone heart surgery twice in recent months and remained under medical supervision; during his detention, he was deprived of medical treatment, putting his life at serious risk.

In the early hours of Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 12:30 AM, a team from the Urmia Intelligence security forces launched a violent raid on the Rasouli family home. After breaking down the door and showing extreme disrespect and insults to family members, they arrested Kheder and Klara Rasouli without presenting a judicial warrant or explaining the charges, transferring them to a security detention center in Urmia.

Arbitrary Detention Due to the Political Activity of a Family Member:

An informed source told Kurpa that these arrests have no specific legal basis or charges and were carried out solely due to the political activities of Karo Rasouli, the son and brother of the two detainees. Karo Rasouli is a political activist residing abroad and a member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI).

Background of Security Pressures Against Kheder Rasouli:

Over the past 22 years, Kheder Rasouli has repeatedly faced threats, summons, temporary detentions, and prison sentences. He was previously arrested and sentenced to five years in prison, followed by social deprivations, because of his son’s membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. He has also been subjected to arbitrary detention ranging from several hours to a day on numerous occasions.

Furthermore, during the "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" revolutionary uprising, security forces raided the family's home once, fired shots at the house on another occasion, and threatened to set the house on fire in two separate instances.

Threats of Forced Confessions and Instrumental Use of Media:

On July 21, 2025, channels affiliated with security agencies announced—without directly naming anyone—that forced television confessions regarding "Karo Rasouli’s father" would soon be broadcast. In this report, the security agency channel accused Karo Rasouli’s father of "collecting information from military centers in Mahabad and sending it to his son in exchange for money." This action is a clear example of using torture and psychological pressure to extract fabricated confessions for use as a propaganda tool.

Based on existing evidence, the detention of Kheder and Klara Rasouli lacked any legal basis and was carried out solely due to their family relationship with a political activist. These actions constitute a clear case of arbitrary detention, collective punishment, deprivation of fundamental rights, psychological torture, and a blatant violation of Articles 9, 10, and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The threat of televised confessions and the deprivation of medical treatment also constitute a clear violation of the Convention Against Torture.