Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer representing the family of Jina Mahsa Amini, has been sentenced to one year in prison and banned from social media for two years by Branch 28 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran. The court, presided over by Judge Amouzad, convicted Nikbakht of the charge of “propaganda against the state”, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Nikbakht’s lawyer, Ali Rezaei,…
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Branch Two of the Kermanshah Criminal Court One has sentenced Yarsani Kurdish civilian Reza (Gholamreza) Rasaei to death, payment of blood money, one year of imprisonment and 74 lashes. Rasaei was convicted of “participating in premeditated murder” of Nader Beyrami, the head of the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Sahneh, Kermanshah Province, as well as “participating in the intentional infliction…
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Kurdish civil rights activist Edris Menbari, who is a member of the Nozhin Socio-Cultural Association in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, has been sentenced to one year in prison and 40 lashes on charges of “disturbing public order”. Menbari’s trial took place on 10 October, in absentia, with neither he nor his legal representatives present, at Branch 106 of the Sanandaj Criminal Court Two, presided over by…
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Kurdish political prisoner Sakine Parvaneh has been handed a sentence of seven years and six months by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province. Parvaneh was convicted on charges of “propaganda against the state”, “assembly and collusion”, and “insulting the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran”. The political prisoner was recently transferred from the women’s ward of Mashhad Central Prison to Branch…
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The Second Branch of the Ilam Provincial Appeals Court has recently commuted the nine-year prison sentence of Babak Karimi, a protester arrested during the Jin Jiyan Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom in Kurdish) uprising in Eyvan-e Gharb, Ilam province, to a total of four years, nine months and two days. In June, the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Ilam, Ilam Province, sentenced Karimi to five years, two…
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Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, has sentenced Kurdish political prisoner Yousef Ahmadi to death on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi) through membership in a Kurdish opposition party and “taking part in the murder of two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)”. At the same time, three other defendants in the case, Mohammad Karimi, Baaset Karimi and Mohammad…
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Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, has sentenced Kurdish civil rights activist Taha Rasoulian to a total of seven years and three months in prison. According to the verdict, Rasoulian was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of “acting against national security” through his “affiliation” with one of the Kurdish opposition parties, three years and seven months…
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The Islamic Revolutionary Court in Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, recently sentenced Kurdish civilian Shahla Choupani to three months in prison and a fine of 200 million rials – nearly 400 USD. The court convicted Choupani on charges of “acting against national security”, accusing her of affiliation with a Kurdish opposition party. On 27 June, security forces arrested Choupani after raiding her home in Saqqez and took her…
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Nazila Maroofian, a Kurdish journalist from Saqqez based in Tehran, has been sentenced to one year in prison by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in the capital. The court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, convicted her on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “conspiracy to disrupt national security”. In addition to the prison sentence, Maroofian was ordered to pay a fine of…
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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 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 14 prisoners in August, including Reza Rasaei, a 35-year-old Kurdish Yarsani civilian who was arrested during the Women, Life, Freedom anti-government uprising.
The political prisoner was executed on 6 August and his family and lawyer were not informed in advance, nor was he allowed a final meeting with his family.
The remaining 13 prisoners were executed on drug or murder 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 26 August, an 18-year-old woman, Mobina Zeynivand, was killed by her father in the village of Gorz-e Langar in Darreh Shahr, Ilam Province.
Zeynivand’s 56-year-old father killed his daughter and surrendered to the judicial authorities, citing “family disputes” as the reason for the murder. She was reportedly killed for trying to marry the person she loved.
Kolbars and tradesmen
In August, at least two kolbars were killed and nine injured by gunfire from Iranian border and security forces.
Additionally, one kolbar was injured due to falling from border heights in Marivan, Kurdistan Province.
Detentions and arrests
Over the past month, Iranian forces arrested at least 17 individuals, including activists and religious figures.
At least four of the detained civilians were sent to Naqadeh, Orumiyeh, Mahabad and Bukan prisons to serve sentences.
Sentences
In August, Iranian courts sentenced at least five people to prison terms ranging from six months to eight years and 10 months.