Kurdistan Human Rights Network

Iranian security forces have arrested Mina Soltani, the mother of Shahriar Mohammadi, a protester killed during the anti-government Women, Life, Freedom uprising in 2022, ahead of the second anniversary of the protests.

Soltani was arrested without a warrant at her home in Bukan, West Azerbaijan Province, at around 18:00 local time on 11 September and taken to an undisclosed location, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned.

The dadkhah activist mother (a Persian term used for victims’ relatives and survivors seeking truth and justice) has faced constant pressure and threats from security forces over the past two years due to her activism following the death of her son.

Her son, Shahriar Mohammadi, was shot and wounded by security forces during anti-government protests in Bukan on 18 November 2022, and later died in hospital due to his injuries.

Over the past week, at least 18 Kurdish civilians have been detained by the Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organisation in the cities of Mahabad, Oshnavieh, Piranshahr and Bukan in West Azerbaijan Province, and Marivan, Sarvabad and Divandarreh in Kurdistan Province, and taken to the security detention centres of the two security services.