The University of Tabriz in northwestern Iran has expelled Kurdish doctoral student Soran Daneshvar at the request of the Ministry of Intelligence. Daneshvar is a Kurdish activist who began his PhD studies in Philosophy in late September. In mid-November, with the new Ministry of Science, Research and Technology taking office and the appointment of the new rector of the University of Tabriz, the PhD student was…
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A Kurdish Yarsan student was barred from completing his dissertation by Razi University of Kermanshah for mentioning his religion as Yarsan (also known as Ahle Haqq) at a questionnaire as part of his dissertation requirements for a survey, a source told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network. 61-year-old student Siavash Hayati is spokesperson for the Advisory Forum of Yarsan Civil Activists. He started his postgraduate degree in Political Sciences at Razi University of Kermanshah…
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A student from Mariwan went on hunger strike when she found out the final result of her Iranian University Entrance Examination, also known as Konkur, announced on Saturday. She was taken to Fajr hospital in Marivan on Monday, September 18, due to her critical health condition but she was discharged from the hospital after several hours. According to Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Glavizh Arzhangi, a…
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On Friday, Sept 1, 2017, the final results of the entrance exam for Master’s level was announced in Iran and one of the Kurdish students was deprived of the right to continue his study at this stage on the pretext of being a “Starred student”. (“Starred students” are university students banned from continuing their higher education as a result of their student and/or political…
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Dana Lanjabadi, a Kurdish student activist who was released from prison last September, has been deprived of the right to continue his higher education, although he has already paid the tuition fees for the on-going semester. He was to resume his studies at the Payam-e-Noor University in the city of Mariwan after release form prison. However, the Iranian authorities did not allow him to return…
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.