According to information received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, Mona Maleki, a 27-year-old woman from Sanandaj, has been in detention since 23 Tir 1405 (14 July 2026). Intelligence Ministry agents arrested her at her family home without presenting a judicial warrant and transferred her to solitary confinement in the women’s ward of Sanandaj Central Prison, also referred to as the Sanandaj Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre. According to informed sources, she has been subjected to intense interrogations and security pressure during her detention.
Nearly three months after her arrest, Mona Maleki continues to be denied access to a lawyer of her choice, in-person family visits, and regular telephone contact with her family. According to information obtained by HANA, security authorities have accused her of “cooperating with Israel.” However, it remains unclear whether this accusation has been formally communicated to her through the judicial authorities or has merely served as the basis for security interrogations.
This situation persists as Mohammad Jabbari, former Prosecutor of Sanandaj and a security figure within Kurdistan’s judicial system, assumed the position of Head of the Justice Department of Kurdistan Province on 19 August 2026 (28 Mordad 1405). Since February 2023, Jabbari has been subject to European Union human rights sanctions due to his responsibility for serious human rights violations, including the suppression of protests and his role in the issuance of death sentences.
According to HANA’s assessment, the handling of political and security-related cases in Kurdistan has deteriorated alarmingly since Jabbari took office as head of the provincial judiciary. Even the minimum legal requirements governing preliminary investigations are being disregarded in practice. Mona Maleki’s case, in which her detention began before Jabbari’s appointment, now exemplifies the continuation of this pattern. A serious accusation has been raised against her, yet nearly three months into her detention, she remains deprived of even the most basic means of mounting a defence, while the legal basis for her continued detention remains unclear.