Iranian intelligence forces have arrested Semko Maroufi, a former Kurdish political prisoner and environmental activist, on June 30, 2025, in the city of Bukan. According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Maroufi was detained after several intelligence vehicles surrounded his home in a residential neighborhood. He has since been transferred to an undisclosed location.
Authorities have not released any information regarding the reason for his arrest, possible charges, or his current whereabouts, raising serious concerns among human rights advocates.
Maroufi has a long history of arrests and imprisonment related to his activism. In March 2021, he was detained by Bukan’s Intelligence Department and held for 25 days before being released on bail. The following month, Branch 104 of Bukan’s Criminal Court sentenced him to one year in prison and imposed a two-year travel ban for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” He was sentenced without legal representation and re-arrested in November 2021 to serve the sentence at Bukan Central Prison.
Earlier, in 2019, Maroufi had been sentenced to two years in prison by Branch 101 of Bukan’s Criminal Court on charges of “disturbing public order” for participating in protests against Turkey’s military operations in Syrian Kurdistan.
Human rights groups have called for transparency in his case and have demanded his immediate release.
