Following HANA’s extensive coverage of the strike across cities in Kurdistan on 16 September 2026, family members of several HANA members in Iran were summoned by security authorities and subjected to threats and pressure because of their relatives’ human rights work.
According to information received by HANA, these measures were directly linked to the activities of HANA members and followed the Organization’s reporting on the strike. HANA strongly condemns the targeting of family members as a means of intimidating and pressuring human rights defenders.
Threatening, summoning, or pressuring relatives because of the legitimate human rights activities of a family member constitutes intimidation and reprisal. Peaceful human rights advocacy, the documentation of violations, and the collection and dissemination of information are protected activities under international human rights standards and cannot lawfully justify harassment, prosecution, or coercive measures against human rights defenders or their families.
HANA calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately end all threats, summonses, intimidation, and retaliatory measures directed against its members and their families. Similar threats and pressure have been directed at HANA members and their relatives on several previous occasions in connection with the Organization’s human rights work.
HANA Human Rights Organization is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organization founded in 2019. It documents and reports human rights violations in Iran, with particular attention to Kurdistan, and engages in legal research, public reporting, and international human rights advocacy.