Iran detains 300 from Kurdish minority in post-war crackdown, rights group says

Iranian security forces have arrested more than 300 people from Iran’s minority Kurdish population following the outbreak of war with Israel, according to a report by the Norway-based human rights group Hengaw.

The group said areas with significant Kurdish populations have seen intensified crackdowns, including mass detentions, political executions, and an expanded military presence.

Several people had been killed in incidents involving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including under torture and by direct fire, Hengaw said.

Fouad Alikhani, a 41-year-old from Mahidasht, died under torture on June 22 while in IRGC custody in the western city of Kermanshah, according to Hengaw.

On June 25, Azad Ranaei from Doushan township was shot and killed at an IRGC checkpoint in Sanandaj.

The group also reported the death of a 9-month-old infant, Sarmad Sajjadi, in Marivan on June 20, citing shrapnel injuries from IRGC air defense activity.