Iran frees teen held for reciting Kurdish poetry, father still detained
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian intelligence forces have released 14-year-old Kezhal Salehi three days after she was detained for reciting Kurdish poetry, a watchdog said on Thursday. Her father remains in custody.
“Kezhal Salehi, a 14-year-old Kurdish girl from the village of Naveh in Bojnurd, North Khorasan Province, was temporarily released after three days in detention,” stated the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization.
The girl’s father, Araz Salehi, remains in detention. He was arrested on Tuesday.
“Security forces raided her parents’ home in an attempt to arrest her. When they failed to locate her, they detained her father instead. A few hours later, Kezhal was arrested at a separate location,” Hengaw said.
Kezhal was arrested after reciting Kurdish poems in praise of Kurdistan at several cultural events. Her performances drew widespread support and went viral on social media among the Kurdish population in Iran.
According to information received by Hengaw, on the evening of Tuesday, July 15, 2025, forces from the Intelligence Department in Bojnurd, North Khorasan province, raided the home of 14-year-old Kazhal Salehi with the intention of arresting her.
— Hengaw Organization for Human Rights (@Hengaw_English) July 15, 2025
Hengaw has learned that Kazhal… pic.twitter.com/uZJWHBTN7I
Intelligence forces confiscated all mobile phones and electronic devices during a search of the family’s home and ordered all family members to report for interrogation, according to Hengaw.
Iran’s constitution recognizes Persian as the official language but allows for the use of “regional and tribal languages” in the press and mass media, and for teaching the literature of those languages in schools. Kurdish teachers and activists have long campaigned for the implementation of this right, but many continue to be arrested for their efforts to promote and teach the Kurdish language.
Since Israel’s attack on Iran last month and their 12-day war, Iranian authorities have arrested more than 318 Kurds, in addition to many others across the country, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).