Security forces arrested Kurdish civilian Saadoun Sharifi on 4 September in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, as part of a wider wave of arrests targeting Kurdish civilians ahead of the second anniversary of the anti-government Women, Life, Freedom uprising. Sharifi was arrested without a warrant after security forces raided his family’s home in the village of Gard Aseh in Piranshahr and taken to an undisclosed location,…
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Four Kurdish civilians from Mahabad and Oshnavieh in West Azerbaijan Province have been arrested by security forces in recent days and taken to an undisclosed location. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that on 4 September, Loghman Zangi and his son Siamand Zangi were arrested in the village of Kani Sorkh, while Diako Azizi was arrested in the village of Bab Khalawi, both…
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Security forces have arrested Kurdish singer Omid Ahmadnezhad in an early morning raid on his family home in the village of Qojibad in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that Ahmadnezhad, 35, was arrested without a warrant and taken to an undisclosed location. The authorities have not disclosed the charges against Ahmadnezhad or his current whereabouts.
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Security forces today raided the homes of Siavash Soltani and Ramyar Aboubakri, family members of protesters killed during the Women, Life, Freedom anti-government uprising in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan province, and arrested them without warrants. At approximately 03:00 local time, security agents forcibly entered the home of the Aboubakri family and detained Ramyar Aboubakri, the 16-year-old brother of Zanyar Aboubakri, who was killed during the Women,…
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Six of the eight civil rights activists from Gilan-e Gharb, Kermanshah Province, arrested by the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in recent weeks, have been temporarily released on bail, while two remain in custody. Arash Olfati, Maria Khani, Jahangir Azadi, Hamidreza Rahimian, Mostafa Rostami were released on 26 and 27 August, while Salman Parvan, a disabled civil rights activist, was released…
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Authorities in Hamadan Central Prison executed Saber Jamali, a 29-year-old prisoner from Kangavar in Kermanshah Province, on the morning of 1 September on charges of “premeditated murder”. Jamali was arrested three years ago and was subsequently sentenced to death by retribution in kind (qisas) for “premeditated murder”. Qisas or retribution in kind, gives the victim’s family the right to retaliate under Islamic law. According to statistics compiled…
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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 August to 31 August. The restrictive environment for independent human rights…
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Asaad Espandar, a 24-year-old kolbar from Sardasht, West Azerbaijan Province, has been shot dead by Iranian border guards in the Alut border area of Baneh, Kurdistan Province. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that in the late hours of 29 August, border guards opened fire on a group of kolbars at close range and without warning, critically wounding Espandar with a bullet that…
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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 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 September to 30 September.
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 five prisoners in September.
While four of these men were executed on charges of “premeditated murder”, one was executed for drug-related charges.
*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
On 7 September, a young woman was killed by her 70-year-old father over alleged “family disputes” in Ilam, Ilam Province.
Kolbars and tradesmen
In September, Fardin Rostamnezhad, a kolbar from Paveh, Kermanshah Province, died from his injuries almost 18 months after he was shot by border guards.
Additionally, at least three kolbars were injured by Iranian border forces; two were shot and one was beaten.
Detentions and arrests
Over the past month, Iranian forces have arrested at least 42 people, including activists, children, and members of dadkhah families (a Persian term used for victims’ relatives and survivors seeking truth and justice).
At least three of the detained civilians were sent to Naqadeh and Orumiyeh prisons to serve their sentences.
Sentences
In September, Iranian courts sentenced at least nine people to punishments ranging from fines to two years in prison.
Additionally, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Hatem Ozdemir, a Kurdish political prisoner with Turkish citizenship, on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh).