Zhina Modares Gorji, a journalist and women’s rights activist, has been sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison by Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The court sentenced Modares Gorji to 10 years in prison on charges of “forming an illegal group with the aim of overthrowing the regime”, to…
Read more
Mehdi Majidi, a Kurdish civilian from Bukan, West Azerbaijan Province, has been sentenced to a total of five years in prison by Branch 102 of the Criminal Court Two in Bukan. According to the court’s verdict, which was delivered to Majidi in recent days, he was sentenced to three years in prison for “supporting the Zionist regime”, one year for “propaganda against the state”, and…
Read more
Kurdish political prisoner Hatem Ozdemir, who holds Turkish citizenship, has again been sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh). This decision follows a previous death sentence by Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Khoy, West Azerbaijan Province, on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi), which was overturned by the Supreme Court in March 2023. Ozdemir’s trial took…
Read more
Four Kurdish civilians, Soleyman Salek, Osman Delsouz, Hazhar Delsouz and Akam Khezrzadeh, have been collectively sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison by the Criminal Court Two of Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, on charges of “membership of a group or organisation with the aim of disturbing national security”. Salek, 71, from Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, while Khezrzadeh,…
Read more
Soma Pour-Mohammadi, a Kurdish language teacher and a member of the board of directors of the Nozhin Socio-Cultural Association in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, has been sentenced to 10 years of exile imprisonment in Kermanshah Prison by Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj on charges of “forming groups with the aim of undermining national security”. The verdict comes after similar sentences were handed…
Read more
The Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran has sentenced Saman Yasin, a Kurdish rapper from Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, to five years of exile imprisonment in Babak, Kerman Province, after one year and seven months of detention. Originally sentenced to death for “enmity against God” (moharebeh), Yasin’s sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court on the grounds of flaws in the investigation, leading to a retrial in…
Read more
Kurdish civilian Bahman Naderi has been sentenced to six months in prison and a fine of 80 million rials (nearly 115 USD) by Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, on charges of “propaganda against the state”. Naderi, from Kermanshah, was arrested by agents of the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Kermanshah on 12 September 2023,…
Read more
The second branch of the Court of Appeals in Van, south-eastern Turkey, has upheld the six-year, three-month prison sentence handed down to Kurdish environmental activist and former political prisoner Mahyar Ahmadi from Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province. Ahmadi, who was arrested on 12 September 2023 by Turkish border guards at the border between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Turkey, was sentenced by a Turkish court in…
Read more
Omid Ghadimi, the brother of Foad Ghadimi, a protester killed during the Women, Life, Freedom uprising in Divandarreh, Kurdistan Province, has been sentenced to a total of 40 months in prison and a fine of 85 million rials – nearly 150 USD. The Islamic Revolutionary Court in Divandarreh charged Ghadimi with “membership of the Komala [Party of Iranian Kurdistan]”, “propaganda activities against the state”, and…
Read more
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).