Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish activist who has been detained for almost a year, has been sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi) through membership of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK). The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that following the verdict, women political prisoners in Evin Prison staged a sit-in protest in the prison…
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Four members of the Kurdistan Teachers Union in Marivan, Aram Ghaderi, Aram Mohammadi, Tahsin Mostafa and Seyvan Soleymani, have been sentenced to four months in prison each by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in the city on charges of “propaganda against the state”. The court suspended the four-month prison sentences for two years. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that the court session took place…
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Kurdish labour activist Farhad Sheikhi has been sentenced to one year in prison and additional penalties by Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Karaj, Alborz Province, on charges of “propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran”. Sheikhi’s trial took place on 2 October 2023, and he was informed of the verdict in recent days. According to the verdict, Sheikhi was sentenced to one…
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Yousef Haji-Khosh, a member of the Central Council and Executive Committee of the Kurdish United Front, has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Oshnavieh, West Azerbaijan Province, on charges of “acting against national security” by collaborating with a Kurdish opposition party. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that the sentence was handed down…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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 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.