Habib Zare, a Kurdish citizen from Kermanshah, has been detained by security forces since October 2023. After eight months, no information is available regarding his whereabouts, physical condition, or legal status, raising serious concerns about his health and well-being.
Iran Human Rights Society, June 2, 2025 – Amid ongoing arbitrary arrests and suppression of civil activists and ordinary citizens in Iran, reports indicate that Habib Zare, a Kurdish citizen from Kermanshah, has been in the custody of security forces since October 2023, with his fate shrouded in uncertainty. Informed sources have reported to the Iran Human Rights Organization that since his arrest, Zare has been held in complete isolation, without access to family or a lawyer, sparking widespread concern about his health, safety, and basic rights.
Nighttime Arrest and Transfer to Unknown Security Centers
According to available information, security forces raided Habib Zare’s residence in October 2023, arresting him violently without presenting a judicial warrant and transferring him to an undisclosed security facility. Despite repeated efforts by his family, no official or judicial authority has provided information about his whereabouts or the charges against him.
This level of secrecy and denial of responsibility by security and judicial institutions has been observed in similar cases and is systematically applied, particularly to Kurdish citizens. Past experiences show that such practices are often accompanied by coercive interrogations, torture, and detention in inhumane conditions.
Eight Months of Absolute Uncertainty; A Silence That Raises Alarms
Zare’s family has repeatedly sought information about his condition by approaching judicial institutions, including the Kermanshah judiciary and security prosecutor’s office, but they have been met with denials of any record of his detention or case. In some instances, family members have faced threats or summons themselves.
The prolonged lack of information is particularly concerning given Zare’s history of heart disease and chronic digestive issues. His lack of access to medication and medical care could endanger his life. Concerns are heightened by numerous documented cases of prisoners dying in silence while detained in security or military facilities, often without any judicial process, pushed to the brink of physical and psychological destruction.
A Pattern of Repression in Kurdish Regions
Secret detentions and keeping prisoners in limbo, especially in regions like Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan, have become a fixed pattern of behavior for the regime’s repressive apparatus. Since the onset of nationwide protests, dozens of Kurdish citizens have been detained on vague charges without legal due process, many held in solitary confinement or undisclosed security locations.
In many cases, families are unable to confirm whether their loved ones are even alive. These actions not only blatantly violate citizens’ basic rights but also directly contravene international human rights standards.
Flagrant Human Rights Violations in Habib Zare’s Detention
The eight-month detention and lack of information about Habib Zare once again draw public attention to one of the most sinister aspects of organized repression under the ruling dictatorship. Zare is not just one name among hundreds of anonymous detainees; he is a symbol of citizens gradually erased from the cycle of life and human rights under the shadow of silence and oppression.
The international community, human rights organizations, and global institutions have a responsibility to respond to the uncertain and alarming fate of defenseless prisoners like Zare and to exert pressure to halt the cycle of violence and injustice.
In Habib Zare’s case, multiple human rights violations are evident:
Violation of Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which prohibits arbitrary detention without charges or a fair trial.
Violation of Article 10 of the ICCPR, which mandates humane treatment of detainees.
Violation of Article 14, which guarantees the right to a fair trial and access to legal counsel.
Additionally, denying medical care, given his medical history, may constitute torture and inhumane treatment, which Article 7 of the ICCPR strongly condemns.
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