Sohaila Motaei, a civil and women’s rights activist, was arrested by security forces in Dehgolan for participating in the general strike across Kurdistan cities and transferred to an undisclosed location.
According to Kolbarnews, on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, Sohaila Motaei, a women’s rights advocate from Dehgolan, was detained by local security forces. The report states that she was arrested for taking part in the general strike protesting death sentences issued in the region.
Sohaila Motaei had previously been sentenced by the Dehgolan Criminal Court to 3 years and 9 months in prison. If upheld in appeals court under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe sentence 18 months of imprisonment could be enforced.
The court ruling, issued by Branch 2 of the Dehgolan Criminal Court and communicated to her, convicted her on charges of: “Disrupting public order” (18 months), “Disturbing public opinion through the dissemination of false information” (13 months), “Resisting officers” (5 months), “Propaganda for anti-regime groups and organizations” (9 months).
Motaei had previously been arrested during the nationwide protests on October 1, 2022, in Dehgolan. She was temporarily released on October 17, 2022, after posting a bail of 400 million tomans. On November 12, 2022, she was re-arrested by security forces and, following interrogation, was transferred to the Sanandaj Juvenile Correctional Center.
