According to information received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, Aref Nasiri, a Kurdish citizen from Abdanan in illam Province and a follower of the Gonabadi Darvish faith, was forced to leave Iran with his family after security forces raided his home and a judicial-security case was opened against him.
In the early hours of October 21, 2026, more than 10 agents of the IRGC Intelligence Organization raided Mr. Nasiri’s home without a judicial warrant, intending to arrest him. On learning that he was not present, the agents confined his wife and two daughters to one of the rooms and searched the house, confiscating personal belongings including a laptop, a tablet, and a Starlink device. The agents also subjected members of the family to insults and inhumane treatment.
Following the raid, a judicial-security case was opened against Mr. Nasiri in the First Branch of the Investigation Office of the illam Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, on a charge related to the buying and selling of Starlink devices. He was notified that he must report to the judicial authority within five days, by October 25, 2026. Given the risk of arrest, he decided to protect his own safety and that of his family. With his wife and two daughters, and without the opportunity to inform or say goodbye to other family members, he left Iran through a land border and sought refuge in a neighboring country.
During the protests of January 2026, Mr. Nasiri provided aid to wounded protesters and sheltered a number of those injured in the crackdown at his own home.