Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin, who was arrested during the Women Life Freedom uprising in Tehran one and a half years ago, was transferred from Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, to Aminabad Psychiatric Hospital in Rey, Tehran Province, on 5 March, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. This is Yasin’s second transfer to Aminabad in less than a year. Previously, on 22…
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Kamran Ghassemi, a Kurdish political prisoner who has served more than half of his seven and a half year sentence in Orumiyeh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan Province, began a hunger strike today in protest at the refusal of the prison authorities and the Ministry of Intelligence to grant his requests for furlough and conditional release. Following the announcement of the hunger strike, he was…
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Prisoner Saeid Rezaei, previously sentenced to death for “premeditated murder”, was today transferred to solitary confinement in Orumiyeh Central Prison, West Azerbaijan Province, for the imminent execution of his sentence. Rezaei, a 38-year-old prisoner from Orumiyeh, was arrested some 14 years ago. Prison authorities have announced that Rezaei’s execution is scheduled for tomorrow morning, unless the victim’s family gives its consent.
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The authorities in Orumiyeh Central Prison have recently increased pressure and torture on prisoners after more than 800 prisoners signed an open letter calling for the removal of Peyman Khanzadeh, the head of the prison. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learnt that on 3 March, Akbar Maheri, the head of Section 1-2, and several prison guards severely beat two prisoners, Towhid Ghaznavi and…
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Soleiman Abdi, a member of the Kurdistan Teachers’ Union in Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, was sent to Saqqez prison on 3 March to serve an eight-month sentence. Abdi had been sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Saqqez on charges of “propaganda against the state”. Additionally, on 14 July 2023, Branch 105 of the Criminal Court Two in Saqqez sentenced the Kurdish teacher…
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Prison guards raided the political and religious prisoners’ ward in Orumiyeh Central Prison on 28 February, destroying prisoners’ belongings and beating some of them. The raid comes after Kurdish political prisoner Shahin Gallehdar committed suicide and more than 800 prisoners signed an open letter calling for the removal of Peyman Khanzadeh, the head of the prison, due to the increasing number of suicides in the…
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Kurdish political prisoner Saman Yasin, who was arrested during the Women Life Freedom uprising in Tehran one and a half years ago, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the prolonged uncertainty surrounding his detention in an open letter addressed to the head of the Iranian judiciary. Referring to his detention in Tehran and Karaj prisons over the past 18 months, Yasin said: “I, Saman Yasin (Seydi),…
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Zeynab Jalalian, Iran’s longest-serving and only female political prisoner serving a life sentence, has written a letter from Yazd prison, urging the Iranian people to abstain from voting in the upcoming elections. In a poignant message, Jalalian urged Iranians to keep the ballot boxes empty, emphasising the personal sacrifice she has made for the cause of freedom. “I remain behind bars for your sake,” she…
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Zeynab Jalalian, Iran’s longest-serving and only female political prisoner serving a life sentence in Yazd prison, marked her seventeenth year in prison yesterday. Throughout her imprisonment, Jalalian has been denied the right to furlough and has been illegally transferred several times to different prisons across the country. Born in 1982 in the border village of Dim Qeshlaq in Maku, West Azerbaijan Province, Jalalian moved to…
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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.