Ilam; Continuation of Mass Arrests and Uncertainty of 13 Kurdish Youths Following Days to Weeks of Arbitrary Detention

February 4, 2026; From January 8 to February 3, 2026, at least 13 Kurdish citizens from various cities in “Ilam” province, including “Mohammad Zeinivand,” “Mehdi Kasaei,” “Meraj Shirkhani,” “Behzad Valibeigi,” “Mohammad Hossein Baralak,” “Farzad Moradi,” “Behrouz Valibeigi,” “Mohammad Amin Safari,” “Farshad Aeini,” “Hamid Larti,” “Sohrab Alidousti,” “Hamed Nazarian,” and “Nima Korkhi,” have been violently arrested by the security forces of the Islamic Republic without the presentation of a judicial warrant. These arrests occurred amidst a wave of mass and arbitrary detentions in “Ilam” province.

According to received information, a number of these citizens are being held in undisclosed locations. After a period ranging from a few days to more than 28 days since their arrest, no official information regarding their status, place of detention, or fate has been provided to their families. Informed sources have also reported the application of intense security pressure, heavy interrogations, and the likelihood of attempts to extract forced confessions. Among them, one of the detainees was transferred to “Ilam Prison” after enduring torture, and at least one other individual has a prior record of arrest during the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” revolutionary uprising, increasing concerns about the continuation of security pressures against him.

The details of the detainees are as follows:

Mohammad Zeinivand, 37-year-old Kurdish youth from “Darreh Shahr”, arrested: January 16, 2026; lack of information: 19 days.

Mehdi Kasaei, 19-year-old Kurdish youth from “Ilam”, arrested: January 9, 2026; lack of information: 26 days.

Meraj Shirkhani, 20-year-old Kurdish youth from “Ilam”, arrested: January 9, 2026; lack of information: 26 days.

Behzad Valibeigi, Kurdish youth from “Lumar”, arrested: February 2, 2026; lack of information: 2 days.

Mohammad Hossein Baralak, Kurdish youth from “Lumar”, arrested: January 25, 2026; lack of information: 10 days.

Farzad Moradi, Kurdish youth from the village of “Anjireh”, “Abdanan”, arrested: January 8, 2026; lack of information: 28 days.

Behrouz Valibeigi, Kurdish youth from “Lumar”, arrested: January 30, 2026; lack of information: 4 days.

Mohammad Amin Safari, Kurdish youth from the village of “Haft Cheshmeh”, “Abdanan”, arrested: February 2, 2026; lack of information: 2 days.

Farshad Aeini, Kurdish youth from “Dehloran”, arrested: February 3, 2026; he was previously arrested during the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” revolutionary uprising on February 14, 2023.

Hamid Larti, Kurdish youth from “Ilam”, arrested: January 15, 2026; lack of information: 20 days.

Sohrab Alidousti, Kurdish youth from “Karzan”, rock climbing instructor and professional swimmer, arrested: January 24, 2026; lack of information: 10 days.

Hamed Nazarian, 33-year-old Kurdish youth from “Ilam”, arrested: January 10, 2026; lack of information: 25 days.

Nima Korkhi, 18-year-old Kurdish youth from “Ilam”, arrested: likely January 13, 2026; lack of information: more than three weeks. He was transferred to “Ilam Prison” after intense interrogations, and there is evidence indicating he is being pressured to provide forced confessions.

It is worth noting that all these Kurdish citizens have been deprived of the right to access a lawyer, make phone calls, or meet with their families since the time of their arrest.

Images: From right to left;

Nima Korkhi, Farshad Aeini, Meraj Shirkhani, Hamed Nazarian, Hamid Larti, Behrouz Valibeigi, Farzad Moradi, Mohammad Hossein Baralak, Mohammad Amin Safari, Sohrab Alidousti, Mohammad Zeinivand, Behzad Valibeigi, Mehdi Kasaei.