Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, has sentenced Srwa Pour-Mohammadi and Edris Menbari, two members of the Nozhin Socio-Cultural Association, to ten years in prison. The activists were charged with “forming or participating in groups or associations with the aim of undermining national security”, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The verdict was notified to the activists’ lawyers on…
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Branch Four of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, has sentenced environmental activist Yasser Nouri to four months in prison for allegedly engaging in “propaganda against the state”. Nouri’s trial took place in recent days and he was informed of the verdict today, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Nouri, a former political prisoner and environmental activist from Javanrud, Kermanshah Province, was…
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Branch Nine of Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld a 62-month prison sentence, plus one day, for Kurdish writer and researcher Mozhgan Kavousi. Presiously, Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sari, Mazandaran Province, sentenced Kavousi to 39 months in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security”, 15 months and one day in jail on charges of “insulting the supreme leader”, and…
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Kurdish political prisoner Nayeb Askari, who was previously sentenced to death in absentia by the Branch Two of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province, on charges of “armed insurrection” through membership of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), has been sentenced to death again following a retrial request and several in-person court sessions at the same branch. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network…
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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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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 December to 31 December.
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 December, seven on drug-related charges and eight for “premeditated murder”, according to KHRN’s findings.
The executions took place in Ilam Central Prison, Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Mahabad Prison, Jiroft Prison, Miandoab Prison, Orumiyeh Central Prison and Yazd Central Prison.
Two of those executed were women and one was a 70-year-old man.
*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 December, at least one kolbar was shot dead and another was injured by Iranian border guards.
Another kolbar lost his life due to frostbite in Baneh in late December.
Civilian killings
In mid-December, at least two Kurdish civilians were killed by the Law Enforcement Forces in Javanrud and Tehran.
Detentions and arrests
Over the past month, Iranian forces arrested at least 62 individuals, including three children.
At least three of the detained civilians were sent to Oshnavieh and Naqadeh prisons to serve prison sentences.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced at least eight people to punishments ranging from one month in prison to five years and 15 days of imprisonment.