A passenger vehicle exploded after colliding with an anti-tank mine left over from the Iran-Iraq war. This incident happened in the public area of Mehran on Monday, December 4 and left three people dead. According to Kurdistan Human Rights Network, the three victims were members of a family identified as: Roghaie Tarai, 50 years old Shah Zainab Taraj, 55 years old And the son of Shah Zainab…
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On Monday, November 13, a land mine explosion at one of the Baneh border areas left a soldier dead and a border guard officer mutilated. According to reports received by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), during the explosion which occurred near the Mishaw checkpoint, a soldier known as Abbas Kazemi from Khoramdreh died and a border guard officer called Ali Jalilvand lost his leg. Meanwhile,…
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Two soldiers were injured by a mine blast in a Dehloran border area yesterday. According to reports received by Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that on Friday, Nov 10, 2017, two soldiers called Daniel Biranvand and Rasoul Asadi were injured by a landmine left from Iran-Iraq war era in “Mosayan area”, between “Nahr Anbar” and “Nim Borjak” checkpoints. The injured soldiers were transferred to…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has received reports that on Saturday, Oct 28, 2017, Suleiman Mahmoudi, 46, married and resident of Piranshahr in the highlands of Qomatyr Piranshahr, was severely injured by a mine blast and transferred to a hospital in Orumiyeh. According to the report, this Kolbar lost his right leg in the explosion while his left leg muscle is injured severely. According to KHRN…
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This morning, land mine explosions in one of the Mehran border areas left one dead and two wounded. According to reports received by Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), a land mine clearance officer called Javad Derakhshan affiliated with the Demining Institution was killed while two other land mine clearance officers including Ghodrat Parseh and Mehdi Rezayi were due to mine explosion during the demining operation…
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During the past week, land mine explosions in several areas of Kurdistan left one dead and three wounded. According to reports received by Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), two land mine clearance officers affiliated with the Demining Institution were killed and wounded in a mine explosion during the demining operation in the Ozgaleh area of Tazeh Abad on Saturday, October 14. Another employee of the same…
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A Kurdish Kolber (Border Couriers) from Mariwan stepped on a landmine that was left from the Iran-Iraq war in this area. According to the information received by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, a Kurdish Kolber, Anoushirvan Rezaei from Hilzawa Village of Mariwan wounded in a landmine explosion in the Darwaran, a border region of Mariwan, on Saturday, June 17, 2017. He is hospitalised in Mariwan and…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) – one citizen died and another citizen was seriously wounded on Sunday, May 21, 2017 by an explosion of a landmine in the Sarghala Area situated in Sarpol-e Zahab (Kermanshah province). As a result of landmine explosion, Adel Valizadeh, Son of Hamid, citizen of Dolat Abad in Kermanshah lost his life. He was working along with one of his relatives…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) – Last night on May 14, A 28 year old shepherd from nomad was wounded in his leg and arm, near the Shirazi bridge in Qasr-e Shirin in a mine explosion. The explosion was so terrific that has been heard by the entire city of Qasr-e Shirin. Over the past years, this border area has been the location of nomadic…
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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.