An independence referendum for Iraqi Kurdistan was held on 25 September 2017, with the vast majority of votes cast in favour of independence. To celebrate, thousands of Kurds poured into the streets in the Kurdish cities of Iran including Sanandaj, Kamyaran, Ravansar, Javanroud, Mariwan, Baneh, Saghez, Bukan, Baneh, Sardasht, Piranshahr and Mahabad on Monday night despite tight security measures. Some footage also showed Iranian…
Read more
Iran halted flights to and from Kurdish regions in northern Iraq on Sunday following a plan by the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to hold a referendum on independence. Iran also started military exercises at the Kurdish border areas of the cities of Marivan, Baneh, Sardasht and Piranshahr. Meanwhile, the Special Forces are still manoeuvring in the main areas of the city to create…
Read more
Security forces arrested two Kurdish citizens of Dehgolani and transferred them to an unknown location. “The Security forces raided Yadi Shakeri and Azad Naderi’s houses in Dehgolan on Monday, September 18 before arresting and transferring them to an unknown location”, an informed source told Kurdistan Human Rights Network. “The authorities have still not commented about the fate of these detainees and the reason for their detention…
Read more
Following an intense clash between forces of a Kurdish party and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps for several hours in one of the villages of the Kamyaran on Monday morning, a heavy security atmosphere was established in the villages around Shahu mountains. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, at 2:00 AM on Monday, August 14, Revolutionary Guards Corps ambushed around the village of Tefin of…
Read more
Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) bombarded a large area of Shaho mountain to oppose the Kurdish parties’ forces over the past few days. It took environmental activists and local people several days to put off the fire caused by bombardment as their efforts were blocked by the massive number of IRGCs present in the area. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, “On Monday, Aug 7,…
Read more
On Sunday, July 16, 2017, Twenty-three political and religious prisoners were transferred from different parts of Orumiyeh Prison to ward 12 (the political prisoners’ ward) as ordered by the authorities of Orumiyeh Central Prison. “The authorities of Orumiyeh Central Prison recently transferred the majority of political and religious prisoners who were previously held in various wards of this prison to Ward 12, known as the…
Read more
During the past few days, two citizens from the Kurdish town of Shno (also known in Farsi as Oshnavieh) were transferred from the Intelligence Ministry detention centre of Orumiyeh to Orumiyeh Central Prison. “On Tuesday, 11 July 2017, two Kurdish citizens including Farooq Sharvirani and Ali Arasteh were transferred to the Prosecution Office of Shno Court and then to the Orumiyeh Central Prison after completing…
Read more
A Kurdish citizen from the Gachini village of Orumiyeh was arrested and taken to the Orumiyeh Central Prison to serve a one-year prison sentence on charges of spreading anti-government propaganda. The Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh has initially sentenced Behzad Mahmoud Nezhad to five years in prison on charges of membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Democratic Party – Iran (KDPI, also known by its Kurdish…
Read more
Two citizens from the Kurdish town of Shno (also known in Farsi as Oshnavieh) were transferred from Orumiyeh Intelligence Ministry detention center to Orumiyeh Central Prison. “On Saturday 8 July 2017, two Kurdish citizens, including Amir Peyghami and Taher Khorshidi who were previously arrested by security forces in Shno were transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison after being held in solitary confinement at Intelligence Ministry detention…
Read more
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.