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IRAN - Sanandaj and Marivan detention centres hit
March 5, 2026: March 5, 2026 - IRAN. Sanandaj and Marivan detention centres hit
Details of Military Strike on IRGC Intelligence Detention Centre in Sanandaj and Marivan Prison; Concerns Over Civilian Casualties
Following military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on multiple locations across Iran, reports have emerged of widespread damage to residential areas and the killing of civilians. The strikes began in the early hours of 28 February 2026. In several strikes targeting security and military facilities across various cities, detention centres or areas in the vicinity of prisons were also hit, heightening concerns for the safety of detainees and prisoners.
Sources from Sanandaj and Marivan, in Kurdistan Province, have spoken to IHRNGO about the details of the heavy air strikes by the US and Israel on several security and military sites in these cities. According to these sources, on 2 March 2026, the Shahramfar base of the IRGC Intelligence Organisation in Sanandaj, which has been used to hold political detainees, was struck.
According to these sources, a few hours before the strike on the Shahramfar base, detainees held at the facility were transferred to Sanandaj Central Prison and later released after their families submitted collateral (property deeds) and signed written undertakings. The process did not take place through the courts or the judiciary, but was carried out outside formal legal channels at the premises of an unrelated administrative body, raising questions about the decision-making process and its legal basis.
The Shahramfar base is one of the IRGC's key military and security installations in Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan Province. According to reports, it serves as the main operational headquarters for the IRGC's military and security activities in the province, with a section also used as a detention facility by the IRGC Intelligence Organisation (Beit ol-Moqaddas Kurdistan).
On 2 March 2026 in Sanandaj, several other locations were heavily bombed, including the regional intelligence directorate's operations centre, the Justice Department building, a police station near the University of Medical Sciences, and the Imam Ali Military Base. Informed sources report a high number of casualties. According to these sources, all four of Sanandaj's main hospitals, as well as the army hospital, were overwhelmed with war-wounded.
Footage circulating on social media showing Police Station 15 in Sanandaj reveals extensive structural damage to the building and severe harm to surrounding homes, with many neighbouring residences completely destroyed.
Details have also reached IHRNGO regarding strikes on several military installations in Marivan on Sunday, 1 March 2026. Sources familiar with the matter have told IHRNGO that during these strikes, the wall of Marivan Prison was also destroyed, and families of political prisoners immediately gathered outside the facility. These sources report that amid the ensuing chaos, in which some prison guards had been killed or wounded, a number of families managed to enter the prison and remove some of the inmates. The sources have further stated that in the course of these events, weapons belonging to a number of prison guards fell into the hands of the public.
Given the widespread internet blackout across Iran and the circulation of conflicting accounts, many details of the strikes in Sanandaj and Marivan remain subject to further investigation and verification.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8649/
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2026/03/article-2 (Source: IHR)
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