Farhad Mohammadi, a lawyer and secretary of the National Unity Party in Kurdistan, was released on bail. Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has been informed that this lawyer was released from Sanandaj Central Prison at noon on Tuesday, July 9, 2019 after a 6-month detention on a heavy bail of 500 million Tomans. This activist was arrested on Jan 4, 2019 following the massive arrest of…
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Kurdish Human Rights Network (KHRN): On Tuesday, Apr 23, 2019, the forces of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Kamyaran and the Gashki Operational Axis distributed flyers in mosques in villages around Shaho mountains to anounce the beginning of military manoeuvres in the mountainous areas of the villages of Dewaznaw and Palangan. IRGC has asked the local people to leave the area as soon as…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): The fate of Twelve Kurdish environmental activists and members of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party, detained by the State Intelligence Bureau and the Intelligence Department of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) during the past few months, still remains uncertain. According to the family members of some of these detainees, Hossein Kamangar, Farhad Mohammadi, Homayoun Bahmani, Rashed…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network(KHRN); April 09,2019: Kurdish poet, Hossein Bagheri (known as Jakan Baran), was released on Apr 7, 2019 on a bail of 50 million Tomans. This Kurdish poet was arrested at his home in Ilam on March 19. He published a video about his hunger strike from the time he was arrested until Apr 2, 2019 and released on bail on his Instagram…
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Kurdish Human Rights Network (KHRN): Kaveh Babamoradi- environmental activist- and Zanyar Zamiran- former deputy of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party- were released on bail. According to KHRN, Zanyar Zamiran- who was transferred to Sanandaj Central Prison after two and a half months of interrogation at the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Centre in Sanandaj- was temporarily released on a bail of 500 million…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): Following the celebration of Newroz (Nowruz) in various cities and villages in Kurdistan, several Kurdish civilians were summoned and arrested by the Intelligent Office. According to the information obtained by KHRN, the Newroz ceremony- which was supposed to be held in the city of Malekshahi in Ilam province- was cancelled without any reason due to the involvement of security institutions….
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): Arman Vafaei, Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani and Fardin Karimi were temporarily released today at noon time until the trial on a bail of 500 million Tomans each. These people were accused of cooperation with one of the Kurdish Oppositions during the interrogations. These three Kurdish activists were arrested on March 16 &17,2019, by the security forces and they were held in the…
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Kurdish Human Rights Network (KHRN): Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani, the environmental activist who was arrested On Sunday, February 17 by security forces in Sanandaj, has been able to make a brief call to his mother. However, his family is still unaware of the reason for his detention and whereabouts. Negar Nasri Moghadam, mother of Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani, has told KHRN that “I have been commuting to…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): A Kurdish singer ‘Peyman Mirzazadeh’, arrested on Thursday, February 20 by security forces, was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment and permanent deprivation of singing by branch one of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh. A reliable source told KHRN that “On Saturday, March 2, 2019, Peyman Mirzazadeh was transferred to the branch one of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of…
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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 May to 31 May.
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 15 prisoners in May, nine being on drug-related charges and six on charges of “premeditated murder”.
The majority of these executions took place in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province.
*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
At least four Kurdish women were reported to be victims of femicide in May. Two were killed by their husbands, one by her son-in-law and one by a suitor.
All four cases occurred in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, and the method of murder in all cases was gunshot.
Kolbars
Last month, at least three kolbars were shot dead by Iranian border guards in the border areas of Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces, while two others were wounded in the border areas of Kurdistan Province.
Detentions and arrests
In May, Iranian forces arrested at least 27 people, six of whom were sent to prison to serve their sentences.
According to the information obtained by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), at least seven of the remaining 21 detainees were released on bail, while the situation of the other 14 remains unknown.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced at least seven people to prison sentences ranging from eight months to two years.
Also, the Supreme Court rejected the second appeal for a retrial of Hatem Ozdemir, a Kurdish political prisoner with Turkish citizenship, and upheld his death sentence.
Ozdemir was sentenced to death in May 2024 by Branch Three of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province, presided over by Judge Najafzadeh, on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh). In September 2024, Branch Nine of the Supreme Court upheld the sentence.
With this latest rejection, Ozdemir’s execution is now even more imminent.
Additionally, in May, Branch 31 of the Court of Administrative Justice upheld the dismissal of Somayyeh Akhtar-Shomar, a 37-year-old Kurdish teacher from Marivan, Kurdistan Province, with 17 years of service.
The original decision to dismiss the Kurdish teacher was taken on 17 March 2024 by the Primary Disciplinary Committee of Civil Servants in Kurdistan Province.