Iranian military and security forces have intensified efforts to prevent Newroz celebrations in Kurdish cities, setting up checkpoints and deploying heavily armed units in several locations, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces today set up checkpoints on the roads leading to the villages of Kani Sorkh and Sengan in Oshnavieh, West Azerbaijan Province, using vehicles equipped…
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A group of women’s rights activists, labour activists, trade unionists, and the Mothers for Peace movement gathered today in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, to mark International Women’s Day, despite pressure from security forces attempting to prevent the event. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that the rally was attended by seven groups, including Sanandaj Women’s Rights Activists, the Kurdistan Women’s Union, Sanandaj Women’s Civil…
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The following report, published to mark 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, documents cases of femicide, arrests, sentencing, dismissals of Kurdish women activists, and the condition of Kurdish female political prisoners in Iran over the past year, from 26 November 2023 to 25 November 2024. Based on direct sources of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) and verified through…
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The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, 17 May, serves as a reminder of the history of oppression and violence faced by queer individuals in many societies and countries, where their gender identity and sexual orientation have been pathologised and criminalised. It also commemorates the struggle and resistance of queer people to destigmatise and decriminalise their identities and orientations, fighting for equal rights. In…
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A group of retired employees of the Telecommunication Company of Iran took to the streets in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, today to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with their living conditions and to press for the resolution of various issues. The protests were not limited to Kermanshah, as similar demonstrations by retired telecom workers took place simultaneously in several cities across the country. The main demands of the pensioners…
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Women’s rights activist and former political prisoner Zeynab Bayazidi has been awarded the 2023 Daniele Po International Prize. The award ceremony took place on 21 October in Pieve Di Cento, Bologna, Italy, and was attended by local and provincial authorities and representatives of civil society. In her speech, Bayazidi paid tribute to the struggle and resistance of Zeynab Jalalian, the only female political prisoner sentenced to…
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The whereabouts and fate of Verisheh Moradi, a member of the East Kurdistan Free Women Society (KJAR) with the organisational code name of Jwana Sna, who was arrested by security forces in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, almost two months ago, remains unknown. Moradi was beaten and arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence at the entrance to Sanandaj on 1 August, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN)…
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Zaniar (Matin) Tondro, a 17-year-old student who was shot by Iranian forces during the recent anti-government protests in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, on 27 October 2022, has lost sight of one of his eyes. Hamzeh Tondro, the young man’s father, spoke to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) about his son’s situation and said: “My son was first wounded on 20 September 2022, on the…
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Detained Kurdish writer Mozhgan Kavousi was tried on 20 December over a series of serious charges, one of which may carry a death penalty verdict. The most serious charges against her was “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel arz), for which a death penalty is a possible verdict under the laws of the the Islamic Republic of Iran. She is a former political prisoner released in January…
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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
Iran executed at least seven prisoners in April, four being on drug-related charges, two on charges of “premeditated murder”, and one political prisoner on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi), according to KHRN’s findings.
On 21 April, the family of Kurdish political prisoner Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heidaranlou was summoned to the Orumiyeh Prosecutor’s Office and informed that the prisoner had been executed. The Deputy Prosecutor, Behzad Sarkhanlou, informed them that the prisoner had been transferred from Orumiyeh to Tehran and that his death sentence had been carried out.
*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.
Femicide
In April, a Kurdish woman was reported to have been the victim of femicide. On 3 April, Azita Fallahi, a 36-year-old mother of two, was beaten to death by her husband in Sonqor, Kermanshah Province.
Kolbars
Last month, at least one man died of cardiac arrest while working as a kolbar and two others were shot and wounded by Iranian border guards in the Baneh border area.
Detentions and arrests
In April, Iranian forces arrested at least 11 people, two of whom were sent to prison to serve their sentences.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced a religious activist to 22 months in prison and another man to five months in prison and a fine.