Saqqez; Detention of Hiwa Hosseini and Hadi Ebrahimpour in Protest Against the Seizure of Roads and Lands Surrounding the "Mirgeh Naghshineh" Gold Mine Route
On Sunday, October 26, 2025, following the protest of the people of "Siah Darreh" and "Vezmaleh" villages against the seizure of roads and surrounding agricultural lands for the transit route of heavy vehicles of the "Mirgeh Naghshineh" gold mine, government and military forces from the "Mirdeh" outpost of Saqqez clashed with the people. As a result, two Kurdish citizens, "Hiwa Hosseini," son of Omar from the village of "Siah Darreh," and "Hadi Ebrahimpour," son of Rashid from the village of "Vezmaleh," were arrested by law enforcement forces and transferred to a detention center.
According to an informed source speaking to Kurpa, the mine owners and relevant mining institutions intended to seize the route and the agricultural lands surrounding those paths—belonging to the owners "Omar Seyyed Absheh" and "Kakeh Rashid"—to prepare them for the transit of heavy vehicles from the "Mirgeh Naghshineh" gold mine to Miandoab. The people initially protested the transit of these vehicles because the secondary paths the vehicles were using affected their agricultural lands, while the main transit route for the mine's heavy machinery had been constructed elsewhere. Despite the protests and the efforts of the owners to protect their lands, heavy mining machinery entered the agricultural lands surrounding the route from behind the village of "Vezmaleh"; a route that is said to be converted into an asphalt road and even a bridge in the future. The owners resisted by presenting the village map and demonstrating their land ownership, but the law enforcement forces of the "Mirdeh" outpost entered the scene, clashed with the people, and as a result, two individuals were arrested.
Until the publication of this news, there is no information regarding the exact location of detention or the fate of these two citizens.
The Mirgeh Naghshineh gold mine is located 43 kilometers west of Saqqez, in the Sanandaj-Sirjan mineral belt, and is considered one of the richest gold-bearing zones in Iran. Alongside the Mirgeh Naghshineh mine, there are other mines in the Saqqez region that extract gold. These mines include the Ghelgheleh gold mine, 25 kilometers north of Saqqez, and the Qeshlaq gold mine, 30 kilometers west of Saqqez. These mines are also located in the Sanandaj-Sirjan mineral belt, and their extraction activities have faced similar protests from local residents and environmental activists.
Previously, Kurpa had examined the Ghelgheleh gold mine of Saqqez in a special report titled "Ghelgheleh Gold Mine of Saqqez: A Security-Economic Project Under the Command of the Corrupt and Sanctioned SHASTA Holding; People's Lives and Environment Sacrificed for Government Profit and Power." The Ghelgheleh gold mine of Saqqez was introduced as a symbol of the government's lethal policymaking; a project where the lives, health, and environment of the people are of no importance, and all priorities are dedicated to securing profit and strategic gold reserves for the government.
