The Branch Six of the Appeals Court of Ilam province, in western Iran, has upheld the Islamic Revolutionary Court’s decision sentencing Kurdish student Negar Davoudi to two years of imprisonment and other additional penalties over her participation in the recent anti-government protests in Ilam. On 19 December 2022, the court of first instance sentenced Davoudi to two years in jail, a two-year ban on international…
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An Iranian court has convicted civilians Fereshteh Hosseini, Hossein Ahmadi, Kazem Mam-Esmaeil and Younes Mahmudzadeh to prison terms on charges of “acting against national security” and “propaganda against the state”. According to the verdict, Hosseini was sentenced to eight months in jail on charges of “propaganda against the state”. Ahmadi was sentenced to three years in jail, Mam-Esmaeil to one year and Mahmudzadeh to three years…
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Civilians Hassel Omari and Omid Azad-Davar have been sentenced to 43 months and eight months of imprisonment, respectively. The two civilians were tried at Branch 102 of the Criminal Court of Piranshahr in the past few days. The court charged Omari with “assembly and collusion with the intent to commit a crime against internal/external security” and Azad-Davar with “propaganda against the state”, Kurdistan Human Rights Network…
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The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Marivan, Kurdistan province, has sentenced Salah Azadi, a teacher and member of the Kurdistan-Marivan Teachers’ Union, to one year in prison on charges of “propaganda against the state.” On 7 April 2022, Iranian Cyber Police summoned the activist by telephone and released him after several hours of interrogation. He was then questioned on 17 April 2022 at Branch One of the…
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The Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, sentenced Kurdish civilian Siamak Davoudi to three years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion with the intent to commit crimes against internal/external security.” The civilian was tried without the right to legal counsel on 5 January and the verdict was communicated to him in the past few days. The case was referred…
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The Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Bukan, West Azerbaijan province, has sentenced Masoud Kurdpour, the editor-in-chief of Mukrian News Agency, to a total of 17 months in prison. The court charged the Kurdish journalist with “propaganda against the state” and “disrupting public order”, Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Security forces arrested Kurdpour at his family home in Bukan on 20 September…
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The Branch 103 of the Criminal Court of Ilam, in western Iran, has sentenced Kurdish civilian Mehdi Sadeghi to six months in prison, 74 lashes, and a two-year ban on leaving the country on charges of “disrupting public order and peace”. Sadeghi was detained on 12 October 2022 during the recent anti-government protests in Ilam. After his arrest, he was taken to the detention facility of…
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The Court of Appeals of Ilam, in western Iran, has sentenced a protester to a suspended prison sentence, payment of a fine in cash and a ban on leaving the country for two years. Kurdish student Farzaneh Seydi was arrested by security forces during the recent anti-government protests in Ilam on 15 October 2022. A month later, she was released on a bail of 3…
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A group of civilians in the city of Abdanan, Ilam province, in western Iran, took to the streets on 1 February to protest against the arrest and issuance of prison sentences for two civilians from the city, Sajjad Moradivandan and Ayat Arefinia. During the protests, which lasted until midnight, protesters chanted slogans calling for the immediate release of detainees. In an interview with Iranian state media…
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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 October to 31 October.
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 based on a review of news and reports provided by the KHRN and a review of reports from other human rights organisations and news agencies.
Executions
According to KHRN’s findings, Iran executed at least nine prisoners on drug-related charges in the prisons of Hamadan, Rasht, Khorramabad, Karaj and Khoy during the month of October.
These are the executions the KHRN has been informed of by its sources. However, the number of those executed is likely to be higher.
Civilian killings
On 28 October, Iranian state news agencies reported that a 16-year-old girl, Armita Geravand, had died after spending 28 days in a coma in the intensive care unit of Tehran’s Fajr Hospital.
Geravand was transferred to a military hospital on 1 October, and numerous news reports stated that she had been physically assaulted by government agents on the Shohada line of the Tehran metro because of her hijab.
According to various reports, Geravand had “no vital signs” from the moment she was admitted to the hospital and remained in a coma throughout her stay.
The British newspaper The Guardian reported on 5 October, citing two eyewitnesses, that Geravand had been subjected to a “physical assault” by a female morality police officer in a metro carriage. According to one witness, the morality police officer ‘violently pushed her’ after an argument.
Additionally, Iranian security forces arrested at least 15 activists and civilians, including Mohammad Geravand, a relative of Armita Geravand, during the teenager’s funeral at the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran on 29 October.
Femicide
At least four women have been killed by their male family members in Sardasht, Piranshahr, Bukan and Orumiyeh in the past month.
Kolbars and tradesmen
In October, at least three kolbars were shot dead and 13 others injured by Iranian border guards in the western border areas of the country.
Landmine explosions
On 17 October, Peshawa Aliyar, a civilian from Baneh, was killed by a landmine explosion in Sulaimaniya, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Work-related accidents
On 20 October, Martin Hossein-Panahi, a 16-year-old child labourer, was killed in a factory accident in Sanandaj.
Detentions and arrests
Throughout October, Iranian forces arrested at least 29 activists and civilians, at least two of whom were imprisoned.
Prison sentences
Last month, Iranian courts sentenced at least 11 people to prison terms ranging from four months to 10 years.
Also, civilian Gholamreza Rasaei and Kurdish political prisoner Nayeb Askari were sentenced to death.
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), was sentenced to death again following a retrial request and several in-person court sessions at the same branch.