Iranian security forces detained Kurdish civil activist Dana Lanjabadi on 20 February in the city of Marivan (Mariwan in Kurdish), where a local court explained his charges as that of “propaganda against the state” and ordered his one-month detention for investigation at the local branch of the intelligence ministry, Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learnt from its sources. The security forces that detained him…
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Security forces in Sanandaj detained Kurdish civilian Zana Manbari at his workplace on February 20, 2024 without presenting a court order. His family and colleagues are currently unaware of his whereabouts, Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learnt from its sources. Manbari is the nephew of Peyman Manbari, a protester killed by security forces in Sanandaj during the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests. The precise charges against…
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Kurdish civilians Mostafa Zaher-Zohour and Hamed Amini were recently arrested by security forces in separate incidents in the cities of Sanandaj and Marivan in Kurdistan Province and were taken to undisclosed locations. Zaher-Zohour, a civil rights activist and mountaineer from Sanandaj, was arrested on 13 February when security forces raided his family home without a court order. Similarly, on 14 February, security forces raided the home…
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Former Kurdish political prisoner Shaban Moridi was beaten and arrested by security forces in Javanrud, Kermanshah Province, on 13 February and taken to an undisclosed location. A source who spoke to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) said: “On Tuesday 12 February, security forces stormed the civilian’s family home in Javanrud with tear gas and took all the family members’ mobile phones while inspecting the…
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Security forces arrested Kurdish civilian Sajjad Malekshahi in Qorveh, Kurdistan Province, on the evening of 12 February, after he posted a video criticising the upcoming elections in Iran. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that security forces arrested Malekshahi without a warrant during a raid on his home and subsequently transferred him to an undisclosed location. In a video circulated on social media, Malekshahi…
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Security forces arrested Kurdish civilian Kaveh Choupani in Divandarreh, Kurdistan Province, on 13 February and took him to an undisclosed location. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that security forces raided Choupani’s workplace and took him into custody without a warrant. There is no information about the charges against him or the location where he is being held.
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Kurdish civilian Hossein Saed-Mucheshi was arrested today at his family home in Muchesh, Kurdistan Province, by agents of the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The intelligence forces raided the civilian’s home in Muchesh in the morning and took him into custody without a warrant, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. There is no information on the charges against him or…
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Security forces arrested Kurdish civilian Yasser Hosseini in Kamyaran, Kurdistan Province, on 12 February and took him to an undisclosed location. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that the officers raided Hosseini’s workplace in Kamyaran, beating and arresting him without a warrant. There is no information on the charges against the civilian or the location where he is held.
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Iranian border guards today detained two kolbars, identified as Yousef and Farzad, in the Hangeh-ye Zhal border area of Baneh, Kurdistan Province, and after interrogating them for about half an hour, shot them with shotguns, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The two kolbars from Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, were shot in the legs from just a few metres away and left injured. Yousef,…
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In its monthly reports, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) highlights cases of human rights violations in Kurdistan and violations of the rights of Kurdish civilians in different regions and cities across Iran.
This report includes all cases recorded and reported by KHRN from across Iran through its own sources and verification mechanisms from 1 April to 30 April.
The restrictive environment for independent human rights organisations in Iran, coupled with the pressures faced by individuals subjected to human rights violations and their families, make it difficult to publish accurate and comprehensive reports.
It is therefore important to note that the statistics and information presented in this report do not cover all cases of human rights violations. This report is the result of examining news and reports published by the KHRN and fact-checking of reports published by other human rights organisations and news websites.
Executions
According to KHRN’s findings, Iran executed at least six prisoners in April, four on drug-related charges and two for “premeditated murder”.
The executions took place in prisons in Orumiyeh, Hamadan, Kerman, Karaj, Saqqez, and Ardabil.
*Explanation: The KHRN, recognizing the fundamental right to life, publishes and records news and execution statistics without regard to the ethnic background of individuals and the location of the execution. All cases reported to the organisation by credible sources are published after thorough fact-checking.
Landmine explosions
In the past month, landmine explosions killed a civilian in Gilan-e Gharb and injured another in Saqqez.
Kolbars and tradesmen
During this period, at least four kolbars were shot dead by Iranian border guards and 22 kolbars were injured.
Of the injured, 18 were shot by Iranian border guards, two fell from heights at the border, one was beaten and one was injured during the pursuit of the border guards.
Detentions and arrests
Throughout April, Iranian forces arrested at least 45 civilians, including eight activists, a journalist, and a former political prisoner.
At least 13 of the detained civilians were sent to prisons in Oshnavieh and Naqadeh to serve prison sentences.
Sentences
In the past month, Iranian courts have sentenced at least 10 people to punishments ranging from three months to 10 years in prison.
Among those sentenced was Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin, who was sentenced to five years of exile imprisonment in Babak, Kerman Province, by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran after one year and seven months of detention.