Kurdistan Human Rights Network(KHRN): A young Kurdish singer ‘Peyman Mirzazadeh’, who was sentenced to six months of imprisonment last year on charges of propaganda against the state due to singing Kurdish revolutionary songs, was arrested by security forces in Orumiyeh once again over the past few days. A source close to the family of this singer confirmed the news of this arrest and told Kurdistan…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): Families of recently arrested activists of Sanandaj, Kamyaran and Marivan held a protest gathering in front of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) building in Sanandaj on Saturday morning February 24 and called for the immediate release of these people. “This gathering was led by a group of women from the families of the detainees. The crowd demanded the authorities…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), Following further arrests of Members of the Kurdistan Branch of the National Unity Party, two other members of the party including Farzad Hosseini and Pouria Ahmadi were arrested in Kamyaran and Sanandaj. According to reports received by KHRN, security guards affiliated with the Intelligence Ministry arrested Pouya Ahmadi, the head of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party and…
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Kurdish Human Rights Network (KHRN): Three Kurdish political prisoners Ali Ahmad Suleiman, Yousef Kakamaemi and Aydin Ozchlik went on a one-day hunger strike at Tabriz Central Prison in protest to the Lack of Availability of Education in Mother Language for Kurdish children in Iran. This hunger strike was carried out simultaneously with the International Mother Language Day on February 21. “Article 15 of the Iranian…
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Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): On Sunday, February 17, Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani was arrested by security forces at his family home in Sanandaj. His sister, Negin Sheikholeslami Vatani, has told Kurdistan Human Rights Network that “Five Iranian security agents entered our family house with a court order to arrest my brother. After searching our house, they arrested him but we are still uncertain to [which…
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Sirwan Ghorbani, a member of the Central Council of National Unity Party in Kurdistan and environmental activist, was arrested by security forces in his home following the arrest of civil activists in Kamyaran and Sanandaj. Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has been informed that at 9 AM, Tuesday, February 12, security forces in Kamyaran blocked the alley leading to Sirwan Ghorbani’s home while inspecting all…
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The arrest warrants for ten Kurdish political and civil rights activists ‘Hadi Kamangar, Fazel Qeitisi, Reza Asadi, Farhad Mohammadi, Rashed Montazeri, Hossein Kamangar, Isa Feizi, Amanj Ghorbani, Zanyar Zemiran and Bakhtiar Kamangar’ were extended over the past few days. They have also been severely under pressure for making TV confessions. These civilians were arrested by security forces earlier between January 01 and 06. An informed…
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The hearing of Masoud Shamsnejad, the human rights lawyer, will be held at the Branch 3 of Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh on January 31 following an indictment issued by the Orumiyeh Prosecutor’s Office. He was recently detained on charges of acting against national security and propaganda against the state A reliable source has told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that “the family of Mr ShamsNejad…
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Shahram Farhadi, a Civil Rights activist who has been previously sentenced to two years in prison by the Sanandaj Court of Appeal, was arrested and transferred to Sanandaj Central Prison to endure his sentence. Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has been informed that, on January 21, law enforcement forces arrested Shahram Farhadi in his house and transferred him to the Sanandaj Central Prison. A reliable source…
Read moreIn 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 March to 31 March.
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 a prisoner, Arshad Farzadband, on charges of “premeditated murder” in Orumiyeh Central Prison in March.
*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.
Kolbars
In the second half of March, at least one man was killed by Iranian border forces and another died in a road accident while working as a kolbar in the border areas of Baneh and Salas-e Babajani.
Civilian killings
In March, a civilian, Mohammad Hosseinzadeh, was killed by Iranian police in Orumiyeh.
Deaths in prisons and detention facilities
During this period, Kamran Kazemi, a 38-year-old Kurdish man from Kermanshah, died in suspicious circumstances in the Criminal Investigation Department detention centre in Orumiyeh.
While police officials have attributed his death to suicide, fellow detainees claim that he was tortured to death by officers.
Detentions and arrests
In March, Iranian forces arrested at least 59 people, at least two of whom were sent to prison to serve their sentences.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced at least two political prisoners, Hatem Ozdemir and Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heidaranlou, to death on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) and “armed insurrection” (baghi), respectively.