The Hana Human Rights Organization has learned that Anwar Nikikhah, the father of Siavan Nikikhah, one of the victims of the recent attack by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the headquarters of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, has been abducted by security forces in Bukan and transferred to an unknown location.
Approximately four days after his abduction, security forces and judicial authorities have not provided his family with any information regarding the reason and legal basis for his arrest, his whereabouts, his physical and legal condition, or his fate. Anwar Nikikhah has also been deprived of the right to contact his family and access an independent lawyer.
The abduction of an individual by government forces and the refusal to disclose their whereabouts or fate can be considered an instance of enforced disappearance. Such a situation effectively places the detainee outside the protection of the law and increases the risk of torture, ill-treatment, forced confession, and the violation of the right to life. The full responsibility for maintaining the health and safety of Anwar Nikikhah lies with the security forces and authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Simultaneously, information received by Hana indicates that security pressures are being exerted on the families of Reza Sadeghi, Kasra Rahmannejad, and Zakaria Feqeh Hasan-Agha, three other Komala members and victims from Bukan. These actions are a continuation of the pressure placed on families who lost family members in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s attack on the headquarters of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and can constitute collective punishment and retaliatory action against the relatives of the victims.
During the attack by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the headquarters of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 10 Peshmerga lost their lives. Reza Sadeghi, Kasra Rahmannejad, Siavan Nikikhah, and Zakaria Feqeh Hasan-Agha, four of the victims of this attack, were from Bukan county.
The Hana Human Rights Organization calls for the immediate and official disclosure of the whereabouts and condition of Anwar Nikikhah, the facilitation of contact with his family and access to an independent lawyer, and an end to any threats, pressure, or retaliatory actions against the families of the victims.