According to reports received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, on Thursday, 8 January 2026, Aref Khanzadeh, a 17-year-old child from Bojnord, was unlawfully arrested by security forces and transferred to an undisclosed location.
According to this report, despite the passage of 30 days since his arrest, no information has been made available regarding the reasons for his detention, his place of detention, or his fate.
The Hana Human Rights Organization expresses serious concern over the unclear legal status of this Kurdish child and emphasizes that children, due to their vulnerable status, are entitled to special protective standards in all legal systems, even in cases involving alleged criminal conduct.
Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the Iranian government is a party and which, pursuant to Article 9 of Iran’s Civil Code, has the force of domestic law, pretrial detention must be used only as a measure of last resort and only when strictly necessary. Similarly, Iran’s domestic law, under Article 287 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, provides that the principle is to place a child or juvenile in the care of their parents or legal guardian, and that detention during the preliminary investigation phase is permissible only in exceptional circumstances and upon a determination of necessity.
Violations of juvenile justice standards are not limited to the pretrial phase but also extend to the issue of jurisdiction and the legal safeguards afforded to children and adolescents during court proceedings.
These protective judicial standards include limiting pretrial detention, ensuring immediate access to family members, prohibiting physical and psychological pressure, and guaranteeing access to appropriate legal counsel and legal advice consistent with the child’s status.
In light of the above, the Hana Human Rights Organization holds the provincial prosecutor and the director-general of intelligence directly responsible for the physical and psychological well-being of this child and calls for the immediate release of all detained children.