Iran has sentenced to death 27-year-old Kurdish prisoner from Orumiyeh Shahin Vasaf on charges of espionage for Israel, a reliable source told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN). This is the first time a credible source confirms his death sentence, issued on 2 October 2023. Shahin Vasaf, along with another Kurdish citizen Naser Vasaf, was detained by the intelligence forces in Orumiyeh on 21 September 2022. They…
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The authorities today executed prisoner Ali Rajabian in Karaj Central Penitentiary in Alborz Province for drug-related offences. Rajabian, who was imprisoned for drug trafficking, was transferred to solitary confinement for execution on 28 January. The 50-year-old man, from Kuhdasht in Lorestan Province was arrested about four years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. *Further clarification: Sources close to Rajabian’s family had stated that he was…
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Authorities at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, executed prisoner Mohammad Reza Ghorbani on 28 January on drug-related charges. Ghorbani was transferred to solitary confinement for execution on 27 January along with another prisoner, Hossein Havasi. Havasi was returned to the general ward several hours later, but Ghorbani was executed the following morning. Ghorbani, from Abdanan in Ilam Province, was arrested about five years ago on…
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Kurdish political prisoners Pezhman Fatehi, Mohsen Mazloum, Mohammad Faramarzi and Vafa Azarbar were executed today in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province. Their bodies have not yet been released to their families. In December 2023, the four individuals were sentenced to death on charges of “spying for Israel” by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran and the verdict was later upheld…
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The Supreme Court’s Branch 39 has upheld the death sentence for Yousef Ahmadi, a 38-year-old Kurdish political prisoner, charged with “armed insurrection” (baghi) for being a member of a Kurdish opposition party and “involvement in the murder of two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)”. The Kurdish political prisoner, from Baneh in Kurdistan Province, now faces imminent execution following the court’s confirmation. Ahmadi was…
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Kurdish prisoners of conscience Anvar Khezri, Kamran Sheikheh and Khosrow Besharat face imminent execution in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, following the execution of four of their co-defendants in recent months on charges of “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel arz). The three death row prisoners who have been imprisoned for 14 years, have been on hunger strike since 3 January following the…
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Farhad Salimi, a 43-year-old Sunni Kurdish cleric and prisoner of conscience, was executed today at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, after 14 years behind bars. Salimi, from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, was executed on charges of “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel arz) without prior notice and without the opportunity for a final meeting with his family. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned…
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Farhad Salimi, a 43-year-old Sunni Kurdish cleric and prisoner of conscience, was transferred to solitary confinement for execution in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, on 21 January. Salimi, who has spent 14 years in prison, was transferred to solitary confinement following the recent executions of three of his co-defendants, Ghassem Abasteh, Ayoub Karimi and Davoud Abdollahi, in Ghezel Hesar prison on 5 November,…
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Death row prisoner Jalil Soleymani was executed by the authorities in Hamadan Central Prison on 17 January on drug-related charges. He was transferred to solitary confinement for the execution on 14 January. Soleymani, from Kangavar in Kermanshah Province and a resident of Tuyserkan in Hamadan Province, was arrested about three years ago on drug trafficking charges.
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 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.