Malak Faraj-Beygi
Arrest: 1 July 2025 in Bokan (city in northwestern Iran)
Detained in: temporary detention in Ûrimiye Central Prison, West Azerbaijan Province
Accusation: unknown
Verdict: unknown

The well-known Kurdish civil rights activist and activist Malak Faraj-Beygi is primarily involved in the field of climate justice. She is part of the environmental groups “Welat” and “Jingeparezani Bokan” (defenders of Bokan). The city of Bokan, which is mainly inhabited by Kurds, is located in the northwest of Iran and belongs to the province of West Azerbaijan. In addition to her involvement in the climate movement, Malak Faraj-Beygi is actively involved in shaping the city’s literature club.

Arrest and conviction

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) said that on July 1, 2025, about 20 agents of the Iranian secret service entered the house of Malak Faraj-Beygi. In the process, they are said to have damaged the doors and windows of the house. Subsequently, Malak Faraj-Beygi was forcibly taken away by the Iranian authorities. An arrest warrant for the arrest of Faraj-Beygi had not been presented. According to the KHRN, after her arrest, Faraj-Beygi was taken to a central prison 180 km away in Ûrmiye (Urmia) in the province of West Azerbaijan in Iran. There she was denied contact with her family and the right to legal counsel. Nothing is known about her current whereabouts and her state of health.

Structural repression against the Kurdish minority

The arbitrary arrest of Malak Faraj-Beygi is not an isolated case, but must be placed in a context of a structural wave of arrests. In the shadow of the war against Israel, domestic political repression against minorities in Iran is increasing drastically. There are numerous arbitrary arrests of innocent, often Kurdish civilians. Since the beginning of the war and the subsequent ceasefire alone, more than 290 Kurdish activists and civilians have been arrested by the Iranian secret service or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the provinces of Ilam, West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan and Kermanshah, which are mainly inhabited by Kurds. Across Iran, about 900 people, including minors, have been arrested since the beginning of the war on the oft-made charges of “spying for Israel,” “propaganda against the state,” and “disturbing public opinion.”

Contact the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Please write to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian Chief of Justice in Tehran, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei. Demand the immediate and unconditional release of the prisoners:

Iranian Embassy in Germany
Ambassador: Mr. Majid Nili Ahmadabadi
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Podbielskiallee 65-67
14195 Berlin

E-mail: info@iranbotschaft.de

Chief Justice of Iran Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei
The judiciary
Valiasr Avenue, Pastor Avenue, In front of Jami police station
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran

Sample Letter

Subject: “Request for the immediate and unconditional release of the prisoner Malak Faraj-Beygi”

Dear Mr. Ambassador / Dear Mr. Head of Justice,

This letter expresses my concern about the reports I have received on the situation of Malak Faraj-Beygi, an Iranian citizen.

Malak Faraj-Beygi was forcibly taken away by the Iranian authorities during a raid on July 01, 2025. There was no arrest warrant for the arrest of Faraj-Beygi. According to information, she was taken to a central prison in Ûrmiye, 180 km away. Her family has no way to contact Malak Faraj-Beygi and is denied the right to a lawyer. Nothing is known about her current whereabouts and state of health.

I would like your feedback on what you will do to clarify this case and ask for information on Malak Faraj-Beygidie and her release as soon as possible.
Please protect the life of Malak Faraj-Beygi!

Yours faithfully