According to information received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, on Sunday, October 18, 2026, Yadegar Rastgar, a citizen in his early 40s from Baneh, was attacked by a group of individuals reportedly affiliated with Salafist currents. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was transferred to Salah-e Din Ayoubi Hospital in the city. As of the publication of this report, no detailed information is available regarding the attackers’ motives, the nature of their links to extremist groups, or the citizen’s physical condition.
The attack has once again raised concerns about the activities of extremist Islamist groups in Kurdistan and the risk of violence rooted in religious intolerance and fundamentalism. The history of Salafist jihadist groups has shown that violent interpretations of religion, particularly when accompanied by the rejection of differing beliefs and the justification of violence against others, pose a serious threat to public safety, freedom of belief, and social coexistence.
Hana has previously warned about what it describes as the selective approach of the Islamic Republic’s security institutions toward religious extremist groups in Kurdistan. While peaceful civil and political activities face arrest and repression, local reports indicate that some fundamentalist circles continue to operate without effective and transparent action being taken against them. This disparity in approach raises serious questions about the responsibility of government institutions to prevent violence and ensure equal protection and security for all citizens.
Hana emphasizes that no religious belief or affiliation can justify an assault on the life and safety of others. Identifying those responsible for the attack, independently investigating their possible motives, and preventing the spread of fundamentalist violence are direct responsibilities of the relevant authorities. Any impunity for perpetrators of religiously motivated violence, alongside the repression of peaceful activism, would pose an additional threat to the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of Kurdistan.