Kurdish women activists Baran Saedi and Leyla Pashaei have been charged with new offences and had their bail amount increased by Branch Two of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province. The pair were initially arrested for their involvement in organising an International Women’s Day event in the city. On 26 May, they appeared before the prosecutor’s office in Sanandaj, where they were…
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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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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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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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Relatives of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa(Zhina) Amini, who is in a coma after being arrested and beaten by the Iranian morality police, spoke to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) about the continuation of her worrying situation. The relatives said that Amini’s family were shocked by what happened to their daughter and that they were exposed to intense pressure and threats from security…
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The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has prepared this report on the occasion of 8 March, International Women’s Day, to point to cases of suicide, femicide, arrest, and imprisonment of Kurdish women activists from 8 March 2021 to 8 March 2022 in Iran. Suicides Since last International Women’s Day, at least 78 women and young girls committed suicide in different parts of Iranian Kurdistan and lost…
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On the occasion of 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has prepared a detailed report on cases of genocide, honour killings, female suicides, as well as the arrests and imprisonments of Kurdish women activists in Iran from the beginning of the Iranian year 1400 (21 March 2021) to 25 November. Since 21 March, 61…
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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.