IRAN - Five Kurds arrested for alleged use of Starlink

March 29, 2026 - IRAN. Five Kurds arrested for alleged use of Starlink

Five Kurdish individuals from Saqqez, Kourosh Zahrabi, Bakhtiar Tavousi, Mohammad Sharifi, Afshin Najmi and Kianoush Adelpour, have been arrested by agents of Iran’s Intelligence Department and transferred to undisclosed locations.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the arrests took place in recent days in the city.

Hengaw has learned that Kourosh Zahrabi, Bakhtiar Tavousi and Mohammad Sharifi were arrested on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Afshin Najmi was arrested on Wednesday, March 25, and Kianoush Adelpour was arrested on Thursday, March 26, by agents of the Intelligence Department.

Mohammad Sharifi is the brother-in-law of Bakhtiar Tavousi.

Informed sources said the arrests were carried out with severe violence. Intelligence agents reportedly raided their homes without presenting warrants, searched the premises and confiscated some of their personal belongings. Authorities have reportedly accused the individuals of possessing and using satellite internet equipment known as Starlink.

Authorities have not disclosed their whereabouts, legal status, or any charges against them, and the families’ attempts to obtain information from security institutions have so far been unsuccessful.

Amid the ongoing war between Iran, the United States and Israel, Iranian security institutions have intensified arrests of individuals on security-related charges. Hengaw had previously reported in an exclusive report that since the beginning of the military conflict, at least 1,700 individuals have been arrested in various cities across Iran, raising concerns that heavy charges and unfair sentences may be issued against many of the detainees.

https://hengaw.net/en/news/2026/03/article-82