A Kurdish military commander from the Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan was killed in an ambush by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) near the border village of Piran-e Kohneh in Marivan, Kurdistan Province, on 19 September, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Following the ambush, IRGC forces shelled parts of the region’s highlands until midday, causing widespread fires. Environmental activists, including members of…
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has destroyed parts of the protected Shaho Mountain range in the Kermanshah Province by building roads and attempting to establish military bases, local residents and activists say. Residents of the village of Shamshir in Paveh, Kermanshah Province, told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that last week the IRGC sent a convoy of construction equipment and began building roads…
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has extended its military-security exercise in the Quri Qaleh and Piaz Dol highlands of the Shaho Mountains in Kermanshah Province, which began on 17 July, by three days, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The IRGC also announced artillery shelling in the protected area. Residents of villages near the Shaho Mountains told the KHRN that on 17 July…
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The Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested five Kurdish civil rights activists in Kamyaran, Kurdistan Province, following the funeral of Esmaeil Karimi, an environmental activist who died while fighting a wildfire in the village of Najafabad in Kamyaran. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that IRGC intelligence agents arrested activists Farideh Veysi, Hamid Sabzeh, Amanj Ghorbani, Farzin Movahhedi and…
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Esmaeil Karimi, an environmental activist and employee of the Natural Resources Department in Kamyaran, Kurdistan Province, has died from severe burns sustained while fighting a wildfire in the Kanishah pastures on 22 July. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that Karimi was airlifted from the scene of the fire to Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, where he died of his injuries today. The…
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For the second day in a row, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has carried out intense shelling, causing extensive environmental damage in the Shaho mountainous region near the villages of Tangivar and Palangan in Kamyaran, Kurdistan Province. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that IRGC forces stationed around the villages of Tangivar and Palangan carried out aggressive shelling on 29 January, causing…
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After several days of relentless efforts by environmental activists and teams dispatched from various cities in Kurdistan, the raging wildfires that devastated the forests of Marivan, Kurdistan province, continue to pose a significant challenge. In an interview with the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), one of the environmental activists present in the affected area confirmed the presence of a human element in the extensive wildfires,…
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have shelled yesterday the protected forests of Shaho Mountain, between the villages of Deyvaznav and Palangan in Kamyaran, Kurdistan Province, causing a fire in large part of the forest. In an interview with the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), several residents of the region expressed concerns about the continuation of the fire. IRGC forces prevented the people’s volunteer forces from…
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An Iranian military convoy carrying the heavy equipments of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have stationed near the village of Kani Hosseinbag of Sarvabad, bombarding the heights of Shaho Mountain located between the villages of Deyvaznav and Daleh Marz on 5 April, sources told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN). The shelling, which took place without prior notice to the people of the area,…
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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 June to 30 June.
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
Iran executed at least 11 prisoners in June, eight being on drug-related charges and three on charges of “collaboration and espionage for Israeil”.
Seven of these executions took place in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, and four in Orumiyeh Central Prison.
Kurdish prisoners Edris Ali, Azad Shojaei, and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul, who were executed on charges of “collaboration and espionage for Israeil”, were executed in secret, without being allowed final visits with their families.
Despite the fact that the Supreme Court had not yet formally communicated their death sentences to their lawyers, these three prisoners were executed in haste.
Contrary to the claims of the judiciary, the three prisoners, who worked as kolbars and tradesmen in border regions, denied all accusations of collaborating with Israel throughout their interrogations and court proceedings.
*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.
Civilian killings
On 26 June, Iranian police fatally shot Azad Ranaei, a 34-year-old Kurdish civilian from Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province.
Officers stopped his motorbike on Dr Hosseini Boulevard in Sanandaj and proceeded to search him. An argument broke out during the stop, after which one of the officers opened fire, killing Ranaei.
Femicide
In June, at least one Kurdish woman, Mahboubeh Delavari, was reported to have been a victim of femicide. The 42-year-old was killed by her husband, who hit her on the head with a flower pot.
Kolbars
Last month, at least one kolbar was shot dead and one other was wounded by Iranian border guards in the border areas of Baneh, Kurdistan Province.
Detentions and arrests
In June, Iranian forces arrested at least 45 people, including three former political prisoners, two activists and two dadkhah family members (a Persian term used for victims’ relatives and survivors seeking truth and justice).
It is also important to note that, since the recent Israeli attack, security forces in Iran have launched a renewed wave of repression in Kurdish regions, with dozens of civilians and activists arrested across several cities in Kurdistan.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Basij paramilitary forces, and special police units have set up checkpoints at the entrances to and exits from cities and are patrolling major roads, creating an atmosphere of fear.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC’s intelligence branch have summoned and threatened some Kurdish civilians and activists.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced at least four people to prison sentences ranging from two to 22 months.
Three of these sentences were handed down on charges related to alleged anti-state propaganda activities.