According to information received by HANA Human Rights Organization, Ashkan Abkhou, a 27-year-old citizen from Saqqez, was arrested by security forces at his workplace on Monday, June 15, 2026, and transferred to an undisclosed location.
According to reports received, security agents went to the barbershop where he works and arrested him without a judicial warrant, also confiscating his mobile phone. Sources close to the family have stated that at the time of the arrest, security forces indicated that Ashkan Abkhou was being taken in for only a few hours of voluntary or temporary questioning and would then be released. However, two days have now passed and he remains in detention.
At the time of this report, no official authority has provided any explanation regarding the reasons for his arrest, possible charges, the arresting agency, or his place of detention. Despite repeated follow-up attempts, his family has also been denied the right to any information about his fate.
HANA Human Rights Organization stresses that arrest without a judicial warrant, confiscation of personal belongings, failure to disclose the place of detention, and denial of the detainee’s right to contact his family and access legal counsel constitute a clear violation of the guarantees provided under domestic law and fundamental human rights standards. This situation becomes all the more concerning when security officials, contrary to their initial assurances, refuse to release the individual or disclose his legal status.
While expressing serious concern over Ashkan Abkhou’s situation, HANA calls for the immediate disclosure of his place of detention, the reasons for his arrest, any charges brought against him, and a guarantee of his right to access a lawyer and his family.