Malekshahi/Ilam; Mehdi Karimi Arrested, Coerced Confessions Broadcast for Two Days, His Life is in Danger June 21, 2026

June 21, 2026; In the continuation of the wave of arbitrary and violent arrests, “Mehdi Karimi,” a young Kurdish citizen from Malekshahi in Ilam province, was violently arrested, and his coerced confessions were broadcast for two days by the “Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) News Agency.” Four days after his arbitrary arrest, there is no information regarding his fate and whereabouts, and he is deprived of any contact or visitation with his family as well as access to a lawyer; to the extent that according to reports, his life is in serious danger following these coerced confessions.

An informed source, while confirming this news, told Kurdpa: On Thursday, June 18, 2026, security forces violently arrested him without presenting a judicial warrant and transferred him to an unknown location. This source emphasized that the individual whose face is blurred in the state-sponsored coerced confession video is “Mehdi Karimi.”

On Saturday, June 20, 2026, state media, including Mizan News Agency and the IRIB, published a video of the coerced confessions of a citizen from Ilam under the title “Arrest of 3 Field Leaders and 14 American–Israeli Mercenaries”; literature that has been widely used in recent months by state media against protesters and detainees.

These media outlets claimed that while the detainees are deprived of access to a lawyer and no trial has been held for them, their charges include “destruction and setting fire to public property and places, shooting, filming, and symbolization.”

Furthermore, the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic announced by issuing a statement that three individuals designated as “leaders” named “Morad-A,” “Mehdi-K,” and “Reza-F” were identified and arrested in the cities of Ilam, Malekshahi, and Sarableh in connection with the December 2025 protests. In this statement, it is claimed that these individuals caused insecurity, fear, and panic by publishing “a picture with a machete and a mask while sitting on a bank chair in the middle of the street, and also cold weapons and firearms were discovered from them.”

In the continuation of this statement, the arrest of 14 other individuals under the title of “American–Israeli Sabotage Network” was also announced, claiming that these individuals operated in favor of the “enemy,” provided images to foreign-based Persian-language media, and played a role in “attacks on security centers.”

Previously, the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic and state media had reported the arrest of citizens in Ilam province in several instances, but up to this moment, the exact identity of the detainees and the fate of none of them have been independently and transparently clarified, and no information about their current status or whereabouts is available:

• March 27, 2026: The Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic announced that in five provinces of Iran, including Ilam, a total of 46 individuals were arrested under the title of “American–Zionist mercenaries and agents of terrorist groups.” In the section related to Ilam, it is stated that 5 individuals were arrested on charges of sending information to “Israel,” and 2 Starlink devices were discovered from them.
• April 25, 2026: The Ministry of Intelligence reported the arrest of one individual under the title of “a spy” and 16 agents of “terrorist groups” and “those providing coordinates to the enemy” in five provinces. In the section related to Ilam, an individual named “Omid_A” was arrested by security forces on charges of “intelligence cooperation with the Mossad and transferring information.”
• June 14, 2025: IRNA reported that in Ilam province, an individual with the identity “Ali.H,” who according to the claims of state sources “intended to infiltrate data centers and sensitive systems of the country and transfer classified information to the enemy,” was identified and arrested prior to any action.

From an international human rights perspective, actions such as arrest without judicial transparency, detention in an unknown location, deprivation of access to a lawyer and family, and the broadcasting of coerced confessions prior to holding a trial constitute instances of arbitrary detention and a violation of the right to a fair trial. Furthermore, publishing coerced confessions before guilt is proven conflicts with the presumption of innocence and the prohibition of forced confession.

In cases where families are unaware of the whereabouts of individuals, this situation can fall within the framework of enforced disappearance or similar conditions, which is considered among the most serious violations of human rights.