Prisoner Farman Afristam, a prisoner sentenced to death for “premeditated murder”, was executed in the early hours of 7 January in Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province. Afristam, a father of two from of the village of Milkeh-ye Shir Khan in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, was arrested four years ago on murder charges. Earlier, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported on the execution of three…
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Branch 39 of Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence issued against Kurdish political prisoner Pakhshan Azizi. Azizi’s lawyer, Amir Raeisian, informed Sharq Daily of the decision today and criticised the court for ignoring critical evidence. “After Branch 26 of the [Islamic] Revolutionary Court of Tehran issued a death sentence against Ms Pakhshan Azizi, we filed an appeal. However, Branch 39 of the Supreme Court…
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Iran executed Ashkan Kazemi, Mohammad Shahidi, and Mozaffar Shahsavari, three prisoners sentenced to death on charges of “premeditated murder”, in the early hours of 7 January at Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province. Kazemi, from the village of Kazem Khani-ye Olya in Gilan-e Gharb, Kermanshah Province, Shahidi and Shahsavari, both from Kermanshah, were arrested about four years ago on separate murder charges.
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Ali Atin and Reza Seyyedi, two prisoners from Sardasht, West Azerbaijan Province, convicted of “rape”, were executed in Mahabad Prison in the early hours of 6 January, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The two prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement in recent days in preparation for their executions. Atin, 28, and Seyyedi, 48, were arrested in September 2021 on charges of participating in…
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Iran executed Meysam Farhadi Farashi and Reza Bakhtiari, two prisoners sentenced to death on charges of “premeditated murder”, on 2 January in Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that the executions were carried out without allowing the two prisoners a final meeting with their families. Both men were sentenced to death after being found guilty in separate…
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Haji Barzeh, a Kurdish language teacher from Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, and a member of the Bayan Kurdish Language Institute, was sent to Naqadeh Prison on 18 December to serve a five-month prison sentence. A few weeks ago, the Second Criminal Court in Piranshahr, presided over by Judge Amir Mohammadi, sentenced Barzeh to five months in prison for “propaganda against the state” and fined him…
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Iran executed prisoners Sohrab Ahmadpour, Majid Jamshidi, Rahim Barin and Jamal Naboureh on drug and murder related charges on 18 December, in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, and Mahabad Prison in West Azerbaijan Province. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that Ahmadpour and Jamshidi were transferred to solitary confinement in Ghezel Hesar Prison on 17 December in preparation for their execution. Ahmadpour,…
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Saman Mohammadi Khiyareh, a 35-year-old Kurdish prisoner of conscience on death row, has been transferred to solitary confinement in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, and is at the imminent risk of execution. KHRN has learned that Khiyareh, currently in his 12th year of imprisonment, was transferred to solitary confinement on 14 December and officials summoned his family for a final meeting, which took…
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Three prisoners, Mohammad Ali Darkeh, Siavash Yari and Seyyed Behzad Seyyedi-Bukani, have been executed in recent weeks in the prisons of Ardakan, Yazd Province, and Miandoab, West Azerbaijan Province, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Darkeh, from Mahdasht, Kermanshah Province, and Yari, from Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, were executed in Ardakan Prison on 28 November. Both prisoners were arrested in September 2021 on drug trafficking…
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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 June to 30 June.
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 11 prisoners in June, eight being on drug-related charges and three on charges of “collaboration and espionage for Israeil”.
Seven of these executions took place in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, and four in Orumiyeh Central Prison.
Kurdish prisoners Edris Ali, Azad Shojaei, and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul, who were executed on charges of “collaboration and espionage for Israeil”, were executed in secret, without being allowed final visits with their families.
Despite the fact that the Supreme Court had not yet formally communicated their death sentences to their lawyers, these three prisoners were executed in haste.
Contrary to the claims of the judiciary, the three prisoners, who worked as kolbars and tradesmen in border regions, denied all accusations of collaborating with Israel throughout their interrogations and court proceedings.
*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.
Civilian killings
On 26 June, Iranian police fatally shot Azad Ranaei, a 34-year-old Kurdish civilian from Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province.
Officers stopped his motorbike on Dr Hosseini Boulevard in Sanandaj and proceeded to search him. An argument broke out during the stop, after which one of the officers opened fire, killing Ranaei.
Femicide
In June, at least one Kurdish woman, Mahboubeh Delavari, was reported to have been a victim of femicide. The 42-year-old was killed by her husband, who hit her on the head with a flower pot.
Kolbars
Last month, at least one kolbar was shot dead and one other was wounded by Iranian border guards in the border areas of Baneh, Kurdistan Province.
Detentions and arrests
In June, Iranian forces arrested at least 45 people, including three former political prisoners, two activists and two dadkhah family members (a Persian term used for victims’ relatives and survivors seeking truth and justice).
It is also important to note that, since the recent Israeli attack, security forces in Iran have launched a renewed wave of repression in Kurdish regions, with dozens of civilians and activists arrested across several cities in Kurdistan.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Basij paramilitary forces, and special police units have set up checkpoints at the entrances to and exits from cities and are patrolling major roads, creating an atmosphere of fear.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC’s intelligence branch have summoned and threatened some Kurdish civilians and activists.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced at least four people to prison sentences ranging from two to 22 months.
Three of these sentences were handed down on charges related to alleged anti-state propaganda activities.