Zhina Ahmadi, Marivan artist and founder of "Zhilemo", left in limbo in Sanandaj prison

Zhina Ahmadi, an artist from the village of Negel who lives in Marivan, has been in the custody of the Islamic Republic's security forces since Monday 5 October 2026 and, nearly two weeks on, is still being held in limbo in the quarantine section of the women's ward of Sanandaj prison. Security agents arrested her at her home in Marivan without presenting a judicial warrant.

According to Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA), Zhina Ahmadi has been denied access to a lawyer and visits from her family since the day of her arrest, and neither the reason for her arrest nor the charges against her have been announced so far. Human rights reports have described her as being held in the quarantine section of the juvenile correction and rehabilitation centre and the women's ward of Sanandaj Central Prison. She is also denied telephone contact with her family.

The "Zhilemo" music house in Marivan

Zhina Ahmadi is known by the stage name "Zhilemo" and is the founder of the "Zhilemo" music house in Marivan, a centre that teaches children music, singing, painting and cinema. Her arrest without any charge being announced is the latest example of the arbitrary detention of cultural and artistic activists in Kurdistan.

Arbitrary detention of women in Kurdistan

Zhina Ahmadi's arrest comes as the pressure on women civil activists in Kurdistan continues. Not long ago, the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced Varisheh Moradi, a women's rights activist from Sanandaj, to death for the second time. Human rights bodies have repeatedly warned that holding detainees in quarantine, without a lawyer and without contact with their families, creates the conditions for pressure to extract forced confessions.

Zhina Ahmadi, who taught children in Marivan music and painting, has been in prison for nearly two weeks with no clear charge and no lawyer.