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,…
Read moreIn 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 January to 31 January.
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 12 prisoners in January, seven on charges of “premeditated murder”, three on drug-related charges and two for rape, according to KHRN’s findings.
The executions took place in Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Mahabad Prison, and Orumiyeh Central Prison.
*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.
Femicide
At least six cases of femicide were reported in January in Kermanshah, Ilam, Bukan and Piranshahr.
In one case, a seven-year-old girl, Niyan Jabraeilpour, lost her life after being tortured and raped by a family acquaintance in Bukan on 16 January.
Two others were children, aged 16 and 17, one of whom was the victim of a shooting and the other of a stabbing by her father.
Kolbars
In January, at least one kolbar was shot dead by Iranian border guards, three were wounded after being shot and one was injured after being beaten by these forces.
Civilian killings
On 5 January, Mohammad Azizi, a 35-year-old Kurdish civilian from Qasr-e Shirin, Kermanshah Province, was fatally shot by law enforcement officers at the Parvizkhan border terminal in the city.
The officers shot Azizi three times in the shoulder and abdomen at close range while attempting to arrest him, resulting in his death.
Landmine explosions
On 16 January, Kurdish civilians Kamal Ehsan-Bakhsh and Najieh Jafari were seriously injured in a landmine explosion while the couple were grazing their livestock in the Meymak border area of Ilam Province.
Ehsan-Bakhsh’s left leg was amputated, while his wife, Jafari, suffered injuries to her eye and abdomen.
Detentions and arrests
Over the past month, Iranian forces arrested at least 94 individuals, including 26 activists.
At least nine of the detained civilians were sent to prison to serve prison sentences.
Many of those arrested are believed to have been targeted for their involvement in the recent general strike and protests against the death sentences handed down to Kurdish political prisoners Pakhshan Azizi and Verisheh (Wirishe) Moradi.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced at least seven people to prison sentences ranging from six to 29 months.
Additionally, in early January, Branch 39 of Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentence issued against Kurdish political prisoner Pakhshan Azizi on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi).