The Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Varamin, Tehran province, in northern Iran, has sentenced Kurdish artist Khabat Fadaei to a total of six years in prison. The court charged Fadaei with “propaganda against the state” and “membership in a group and society with the aim of disrupting the security of the country”. If the sentence is upheld at the appeal stage, five years…
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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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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 April to 30 April.
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 six prisoners in April, four on drug-related charges and two for “premeditated murder”.
The executions took place in prisons in Orumiyeh, Hamadan, Kerman, Karaj, Saqqez, and Ardabil.
*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.
Landmine explosions
In the past month, landmine explosions killed a civilian in Gilan-e Gharb and injured another in Saqqez.
Kolbars and tradesmen
During this period, at least four kolbars were shot dead by Iranian border guards and 22 kolbars were injured.
Of the injured, 18 were shot by Iranian border guards, two fell from heights at the border, one was beaten and one was injured during the pursuit of the border guards.
Detentions and arrests
Throughout April, Iranian forces arrested at least 45 civilians, including eight activists, a journalist, and a former political prisoner.
At least 13 of the detained civilians were sent to prisons in Oshnavieh and Naqadeh to serve prison sentences.
Sentences
In the past month, Iranian courts have sentenced at least 10 people to punishments ranging from three months to 10 years in prison.
Among those sentenced was Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin, who was sentenced to five years of exile imprisonment in Babak, Kerman Province, by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran after one year and seven months of detention.