Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): Islamic Republic of Iran Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) has turned the Kurdish cities such as “Kosalan” and “Shaho” in the Saravabad, Paweh and Kamyaran into a military garrison through deploying massive military convoys. “Since the beginning of May, IRGC have deployed extensive military convoys and equipment to the villages around Marivan and the mountains of Kosalan and Shaho on the…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): Hossein Kamangar, the Kurdish activist who has been detained since Jan 7, 2019, has not been in contact with his family since February. “ He contacted his family on Feb 6, 2019 but he has not had any contact with them since then. Security interrogators have announced that he would be deprived of the right to visit his family until…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): Two Kurdish detainees known as Farzad Hosseini and Mehdi Ghobadi have been released from the Kamyaran Prison on heavy bail over the past few days. KHRN has been informed that Farzad Hosseini, a member of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party, was released on a bail of one billion Tomans. He was detained by security forces in Kamyaran…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): Sirwan Ghorbani, an environmental activist and a member of the Central Council of National Unity Party in Kurdistan, was released on a bail of seven hundred million Tomans until his trial on May 12. This activist was arrested on Tuesday, February 12 at 9 AM by security forces in Kamyaran and he was taken to the Ministry of Intelligence Detention…
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Kurdish Human Rights Network (KHRN): Hadi Kamangar, an environmental activist and member of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party who was arrested by security forces on January 01, was released on a bail of one billion and seven hundred million Tomans from Sanandaj Central Prison. This environmental activist was transferred to the Sanandaj Central Prison last week from the Ministry of Intelligence Detention…
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Kurdish Human Rights Network (KHRN): Two environmental activists “Hadi Kamangar and Sirwan Ghorbani” were transferred from the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Centre in Sanandaj to the Central prison of this city during the past few days. Farhad Mohammadi, Hossein Kamangar, Rashed Montazeri, Farzad Hosseini, Issa Fayzi and Jalal Rostami are still held at the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Centre in Sanandaj. “Interrogators have told Farhad…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): On Wednesday evening, Apr 24, 2019 security forces transferred a number of Kurdish environmental activists and Kurdish members of the National Unity Party from the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Centre in Sanandaj to Kamyaran and filmed them for a television documentary. “Following a clash between the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the gunmen of one of the Kurdish opposition…
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Two environmental activists, Armin Esperlus and Homayoun Bahmani, have been released on bail after several weeks of arrest. Armin Esperlus, who was arrested by security forces on Feb 21, 2019, was released from Sanandaj Central Prison yesterday on a bail of 250 million Tomans. Homayoun Bahmani was arrested on Saturday, December 01 by security forces at the Saqez-Sanandaj road and he was held at the…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): The fate of Twelve Kurdish environmental activists and members of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party, detained by the State Intelligence Bureau and the Intelligence Department of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) during the past few months, still remains uncertain. According to the family members of some of these detainees, Hossein Kamangar, Farhad Mohammadi, Homayoun Bahmani, Rashed…
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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 May to 31 May.
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 15 prisoners in May, nine being on drug-related charges and six on charges of “premeditated murder”.
The majority of these executions took place in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province.
*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 four Kurdish women were reported to be victims of femicide in May. Two were killed by their husbands, one by her son-in-law and one by a suitor.
All four cases occurred in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, and the method of murder in all cases was gunshot.
Kolbars
Last month, at least three kolbars were shot dead by Iranian border guards in the border areas of Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces, while two others were wounded in the border areas of Kurdistan Province.
Detentions and arrests
In May, Iranian forces arrested at least 27 people, six of whom were sent to prison to serve their sentences.
According to the information obtained by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), at least seven of the remaining 21 detainees were released on bail, while the situation of the other 14 remains unknown.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced at least seven people to prison sentences ranging from eight months to two years.
Also, the Supreme Court rejected the second appeal for a retrial of Hatem Ozdemir, a Kurdish political prisoner with Turkish citizenship, and upheld his death sentence.
Ozdemir was sentenced to death in May 2024 by Branch Three of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province, presided over by Judge Najafzadeh, on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh). In September 2024, Branch Nine of the Supreme Court upheld the sentence.
With this latest rejection, Ozdemir’s execution is now even more imminent.
Additionally, in May, Branch 31 of the Court of Administrative Justice upheld the dismissal of Somayyeh Akhtar-Shomar, a 37-year-old Kurdish teacher from Marivan, Kurdistan Province, with 17 years of service.
The original decision to dismiss the Kurdish teacher was taken on 17 March 2024 by the Primary Disciplinary Committee of Civil Servants in Kurdistan Province.