Three Arrests in Three Days for Supporting People and Defending Cultural Identity

Abed Alizadeh in Takab, Karim Rasuli in Mahabad, and Vahid Valizada in Tabriz were arrested by Islamic Republic security forces within a span of three days; three cases in which, according to human rights reports, there is no clear information about court verdicts or charges being announced, and once again raising concerns about the suppression of freedom of expression, civil activities, and citizens’ right to advocate for their social demands and cultural identity.

Within three days, three citizens in different regions of Iran were arrested by Islamic Republic security forces: Abed Alizadeh in Takab, Karim Rasuli in Mahabad, and Vahid Valizada in Tabriz.

The common factor in these three cases is not merely the short time between arrests. In all three instances, based on published reports, families and relatives of the detainees had no accurate information about their fate in the initial hours and days following arrest, and no clear information has been published regarding possible charges against them.

These arrests occur at a time when social, cultural, and media activities in many regions of Iran, particularly among Kurdish and Turkish activists, continue to face security crackdowns.

Abed Alizadeh, a Kurdish citizen from Takab and media activist, was arrested on the evening of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, by government forces in the city and transferred to an unknown location.

According to reports, officials arrested him without presenting a court warrant. Other sources have reported that Alizadeh was active on social networks discussing social issues and public demands, including protests against high prices, support for victims of December protests, freedom of expression, and preservation and promotion of Kurdish language and culture. As of the time of this report’s publication, his detention facility, the reason for his arrest, and any possible charges against him remained unclear. Efforts by Alizadeh’s family to obtain information about his status have, according to published reports, been unsuccessful so far.

One day before Alizadeh’s arrest, Karim Rasuli, a Kurdish citizen from the village of Enderqash in Mahabad’s suburbs, was also arrested by the Information Security Organization.

According to Hengaw’s report, Rasuli was arrested on Tuesday, August 18, on one of Mahabad’s streets by Information Security Organization forces and transferred to an unknown location. This report also emphasizes that officials did not present a court warrant at the time of arrest. Rasuli is identified as a member of the village council of Enderqash in Mahabad’s Sharoyan district.

Until the time of this report’s preparation, no information had been published regarding the reason for his arrest, possible charges, or his detention location.

In the third case, Vahid Valizada, a Turkish civil and cultural activist, was arrested on Thursday, August 20, 2026, after Information Security Organization forces entered his residence in Tabriz. According to reports, security forces entered and searched his home without presenting a warrant and confiscated some of his personal belongings. Valizada was then arrested and transferred to an unknown location. At the time this report was published, there was no precise information regarding the detaining agency, detention location, reason for arrest, or possible charges against this civil activist.

The name Vahid Valizada has indeed been mentioned previously in files related to civil activities in Tabriz. Human rights sources have documented his previous arrest during protests related to the drying up of Lake Urmia in 2014; in that case, he was arrested along with several other civil activists.

These three cases, despite differences in location and type of activity, present a similar picture: citizens who have been active in media, social, cultural, or local spheres and, following the intervention of security forces, have been removed from free access to society without transparent notification regarding charges or detention location.

In Abed Alizadeh’s case, activity on social networks and support for public demands and Kurdish language and culture have been highlighted. Karim Rasuli was a village council member, and Vahid Valizada is known as a civil and cultural activist.

Of course, these factors alone do not prove that these specific activities were necessarily the definitive reason for the arrest of all three; this is because the judicial and security authorities of the Islamic Republic have not, at least until the time of this report’s preparation, announced specific charges against them.

However, this very absence of official notification has itself become one of the principal problems in Iran’s security-related cases: families remain uninformed of their loved ones’ detention locations, charges are not announced, and society does not know the exact reason a detained person has been deprived of freedom.

What elevates these arrests beyond an ordinary judicial news story is the issue of freedom of expression and citizens’ right to participate in social and cultural affairs.

In a society with civil liberties, supporting victims of protests, criticizing economic conditions, engaging in media activity, defending one’s native language, or participating in local affairs should not in itself be considered criminal. However, in Iran, multiple reports over recent years have shown that civil, political, cultural, and media activists have faced summonses, arrests, security files, imprisonment, and legal restrictions due to their activities or statements.

The history of similar cases also shows that security measures against protest and civil activities are not new. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network has documented numerous instances of arrest of Kurdish citizens and activists by security agencies in its reports.

This pattern raises a fundamental question before the Islamic Republic government: if a citizen criticizes economic conditions, commemorates victims of protests, defends their language and culture, or participates in civil affairs of their society, where exactly is the line between “citizen’s right” and “security charge”?

Concerns of critics of the Islamic Republic are not limited to temporary arrests alone. In recent years, numerous cases have been filed against protesters and activists with security charges, and some of these cases have resulted in lengthy prison sentences and in some instances even death sentences.

This very history has meant that the arrest of an activist or citizen in Iran is not merely understood as deprivation of freedom for a few hours or days. For families, the beginning of arrest can be the start of an unknown path that progresses from interrogation and uncertainty to filing of legal cases and issuance of harsh sentences.

In such circumstances, fear of the consequences of expression or political opposition can itself become a silent tool of suppressing society; that is, even before a citizen is arrested, the possibility of security action can force them into silence.

The arrest of Abed Alizadeh in Takab and Karim Rasuli in Mahabad alongside the arrest of Vahid Valizada in Tabriz highlights another point. The issue is not merely the suppression of one ethnic group or a specific region. When a Kurdish activist is arrested for media and cultural activities, a village council member in Mahabad, and a Turkish cultural activist in Tabriz are all arrested within days of each other, a broader discussion emerges—namely, the state of civil liberties across the entire country.

Defense of local language and culture, social activity, or expression of economic protest are part of Iran’s societal diversity; however, security measures against such activities can send the message that any activity independent of the government’s formal structure may face security suspicion.

Until the time of this report’s preparation, no clear information has been released by official authorities regarding the fate of Abed Alizadeh, Karim Rasuli, and Vahid Valizada. This silence increases families’ concerns and makes independent case review difficult.

If charges exist against these individuals, it is natural to expect that charges be announced transparently and their judicial process conducted in accordance with law and respect for the rights of the accused. If no such charges exist, the continuation of detention and families’ lack of knowledge raises more serious questions about the basis for these actions.

Ultimately, freedom of expression has meaning only when a citizen can criticize the government without fear of arrest and punishment, speak about society’s problems, and defend their cultural and social rights.

The case of three citizens arrested in Takab, Mahabad, and Tabriz once again raises this fundamental question: In the Islamic Republic, where exactly is the government’s tolerance threshold for a critical citizen?

If the answer to this question is arrest, suppression, and in some cases filing cases with severe punishments, what is lost is not merely the freedom of a few individuals; it is a society’s right to speak, to protest, and to think differently.