Arrest

Mohammad Faraji was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 22 February 2023, during the Women, Life, Freedom anti-government uprising in Bukan, West Azerbaijan Province, and taken to the Ministry’s detention centre in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province.

While in the detention centre, he was held in solitary confinement and subjected to torture in order to extract forced confessions.

After approximately three and a half months, on 10 June 2023, he was transferred to Bukan Prison.

During his detention, Faraji was denied the right to meet with his family and access to legal counsel.

Judicial Process

In a joint case with Kamran Soltani, Faraji was charged with “enmity against God” (moharebeh) and his case was sent to Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, for trial.

Current Status

Faraji is currently being held in Bukan Prison.

Notes:

1. Women, Life, Freedom Uprising: Jina Amini (Mahsa Amini), a 21-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, was arrested on a street in Tehran on 13 September 2022 by the morality police because of the way she was dressed. Shortly after her arrest, she was transferred to Kasra Hospital in Tehran with head injuries and symptoms of brain death, and passed away three days later on 16 September 2022. The government’s killing of Jina sparked unprecedented anti-government protests, which began with a large turnout at her funeral at Aichi Cemetery in Saqqez and quickly spread to many cities across Iran. These widespread protests against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which lasted for several months, resulted in at least 527 protesters being killed and thousands injured and arrested. The protests are known for their central slogan of “Women, Life, Freedom” (Kurdish: Jin, Jiyan, Azadi).

2. Article 279 of the Islamic Penal Code: “Moharebeh (enmity against God) is defined as drawing a weapon with the intention of killing, stealing from, or intimidating people in a way that causes insecurity in the environment.” According to Article 282 of the Islamic Penal Code, “if a person commits the crime of moharebeh, they will be sentenced to crucifixion, execution, amputation of the right hand and left foot, or exile, at the discretion of the judge.”