The whereabouts of Kurdish women activists Leyla Pashaei, Soheyla Motaei, Soma Mohammad-Rezaei and Baran Saedi, who were arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj and Dehgolan in recent days, remain unknown.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported that the activists have been denied access to legal counsel and family visits.

Despite repeated requests from their families, the security and judicial authorities have not provided any details about the detainees’ conditions or whereabouts.

Mohammad-Rezaei and Saedi were arrested on 9 March in Sanandaj, while Pashaei and Motaei were arrested the following day in Sanandaj and Dehgolan.

The four women were reportedly transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence detention facility in Sanandaj.

Their arrest came shortly after their participation in International Women’s Day events in Sanandaj on 8 March.

Saedi, Pashaei, and Motaei had previously been arrested during the anti-government ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ uprising.