Urmia; Night Raid, Seizure of Property, and 18 Days of No Information Regarding Hamid Chapati, Civil Activist and Former Political Prisoner; Ongoing Efforts by IRGC Intelligence for Arrest

March 28, 2026 – Eighted days after a night raid by the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the home of Hamid Chapati, a civil activist and former political prisoner in the city of Urmia, and the seizure of his personal belongings, there is still no information regarding his fate or whereabouts. Reports also indicate continuous efforts by these forces to arrest him.

An informed source, confirming this news to “Kurdpa,” stated: On the night of Wednesday, March 11, 2026, around 11:00 PM, IRGC intelligence forces called Hamid Chapati and summoned him outside his home. Subsequently, approximately 30 armed plainclothes officers entered the house with him without presenting a judicial warrant and proceeded to search the premises. These forces, while behaving insultingly, seized two mobile phones, his passport, national ID card, and birth certificate, and also confiscated some of his books and personal manuscripts without legal authorization.

According to this source, the IRGC forces remained in the house until 4:00 AM. While announcing an arrest warrant for him, they claimed a lack of space for immediate transfer and instructed him to turn himself in the following morning. He was even told to call 114 if transportation was needed.

After Hamid Chapati did not turn himself in, IRGC intelligence forces raided his home again the next morning, conducted another search, and contacted his family demanding his surrender. His family has stated that they are unaware of his location or status.

Meanwhile, 18 days after this incident and given the seizure of his mobile phones, it remains unclear whether he has been detained or is in another situation; a matter that has caused serious concern regarding his well-being.

Detention and Prison Record of Hamid Chapati;

Hamid Chapati, a Kurdish civil activist from the city of Urmia, was released from the Central Prison of Urmia on December 6, 2025, after serving three months of his six-month sentence, under electronic monitoring (ankle monitor) with a 1,000-meter movement limit to serve the remainder of his sentence outside of prison.

The process of his arrest and sentencing began on October 16, 2024, when he was detained following a telephone summons to the Security Police due to publishing critical content on social media. He was temporarily released on bail the same day after being charged. Following a court session on February 14, 2025, and the notification of the preliminary verdict on February 18 of the same year, he was sentenced to three months of imprisonment by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, presided over by Judge “Shahini,” on the charge of “propaganda against the state.”

However, following an objection by the prosecutor's office on March 12, 2025, this sentence was increased to six months of imprisonment by Branch 23 of the Court of Appeals of the province of West Azerbaijan and was notified to him on August 19, 2025. Finally, he was transferred to the Central Prison of Urmia on September 9, 2025, to serve the sentence and was later released under the aforementioned conditions after serving part of his term.