Iranian military and security forces have intensified efforts to prevent Newroz celebrations in Kurdish cities, setting up checkpoints and deploying heavily armed units in several locations, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces today set up checkpoints on the roads leading to the villages of Kani Sorkh and Sengan in Oshnavieh, West Azerbaijan Province, using vehicles equipped…
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Several women’s rights and labour activists in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, have been summoned and threatened by security services ahead of International Women’s Day. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that three women’s rights activists – Bahar Zangiband, Simin Chaychi and Sorayya Khedri – were summoned for questioning by the Intelligence Branch of the Law Enforcement Forces on 6 March. They were interrogated about their…
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Mostafa Hamdi, a media activist and administrator of the Porseman Telegram group, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison and 70 lashes by Branch 105 of the Second Criminal Court in Saqqez, Kurdistan Province. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that the court convicted the Kurdish activist on charges of “disturbing public order” by participating in alleged “illegal gatherings”. Hamdi’s trial took place…
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Sunni Kurdish cleric Saber Khoda-Moradi has been sentenced to 15 months in prison by the Special Clerical Court in Hamadan, Hamadan Province, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Khoda-Moradi, an imam at a mosque in the village of Qukh in Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, was informed by telephone in recent days that he had been sentenced on charges of “propaganda against the state”. The sentence…
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In recent years, holding Newroz ceremonies in the form of large public celebrations with Kurdish symbols, lighting fires, collective dances, epic songs and in many cases political slogans has become a tradition in the cities and villages of Kurdistan. This tradition, apart from its cultural aspect and the Newroz calendar occasion, has roots in the mythological interpretation of Newroz as a symbol of struggle…
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Security forces raided the annual meeting of the Chya the Green Organisation in the village of Nachi in Marivan, Kurdistan Province, on 10 September, arresting at least 25 members. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that while most of those detained were released after signing written undertakings, activists Madeh Khoshnavaz, Kaveh Dastan and Kaveh Karimian remain in custody. Last night, the detainees were transferred…
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Security forces raided the home of Kurdish Sunni cleric Mohammad Sharifi in Bukan, West Azerbaijan Province, arresting him without a warrant on 27 August. Sources indicate that during the operation, officers forced their way into the cleric’s home, breaking doors and windows in the process. They also confiscated his personal belongings. Details of the charges brought against Sharifi and his current whereabouts remain unknown. The incident follows…
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The Special Clerical Court of Hamadan, in west Iran, has recently summoned Sunni Kurdish clerics Madeh Karami and Abdoljabbar Lotfi for their support of anti-government protests. Karami, the imam of the village of Huyeh in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, was summoned to appear in court on 21 May. Lotfi, a teacher and imam at the Ershad mosque in Sanandaj, has been summoned to the clerics’ court for…
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The Special Clerical Court in Hamadan in western Iran sentenced Sunni Kurdish cleric Seyyed Jalal Akbari to two years suspended imprisonment on charges of “propaganda against the state” on 10 May. Akbari, the imam of a mosque in the village of Degagah in Sarvabad, Kurdistan province, was tried on 10 May and was informed of the court’s decision on the same day. Since late March, the…
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 March to 31 March.
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 a prisoner, Arshad Farzadband, on charges of “premeditated murder” in Orumiyeh Central Prison in March.
*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.
Kolbars
In the second half of March, at least one man was killed by Iranian border forces and another died in a road accident while working as a kolbar in the border areas of Baneh and Salas-e Babajani.
Civilian killings
In March, a civilian, Mohammad Hosseinzadeh, was killed by Iranian police in Orumiyeh.
Deaths in prisons and detention facilities
During this period, Kamran Kazemi, a 38-year-old Kurdish man from Kermanshah, died in suspicious circumstances in the Criminal Investigation Department detention centre in Orumiyeh.
While police officials have attributed his death to suicide, fellow detainees claim that he was tortured to death by officers.
Detentions and arrests
In March, Iranian forces arrested at least 59 people, at least two of whom were sent to prison to serve their sentences.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced at least two political prisoners, Hatem Ozdemir and Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heidaranlou, to death on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) and “armed insurrection” (baghi), respectively.