Fardin and Farhad Aghazadeh, two brothers imprisoned in Orumiyeh Central Prison, have attempted suicide after being tortured by prison officials and placed in solitary confinement, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The brothers, who were arrested for fighting and sentenced to prison and fines, used sharp objects in their suicide attempt on 18 October and were transferred to the prison infirmary. KHRN has learned…
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Kurdish political prisoner Keyvan Rashozadeh continues to be denied medical treatment for injuries sustained as a result of torture by prison authorities, as he enters the seventh day of his hunger strike in solitary confinement at Orumiyeh Central Prison. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that despite his injuries, Rashozadeh has been denied access to medical services on the orders of Peyman Khanzadeh,…
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The authorities in Orumiyeh Central Prison have recently increased pressure and torture on prisoners after more than 800 prisoners signed an open letter calling for the removal of Peyman Khanzadeh, the head of the prison. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learnt that on 3 March, Akbar Maheri, the head of Section 1-2, and several prison guards severely beat two prisoners, Towhid Ghaznavi and…
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Kurdish prisoners Aram Omari Berdiani, Rahman Parhazou, and Vafa Hanareh, convicted of “involvement in intelligence cooperation and espionage for Israel”, were severely tortured by prison officials in Orumiyeh Central Prison just hours before their execution, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The three Kurdish men and Nasim Namazi, an Azerbaijani-Turkic woman, were executed in Orumiyeh Central Prison on 28 December 2023 on charges…
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Law enforcement forces in Kermanshah have tortured to death Payam Abdi, a 35-year-old Kurdish man recently arrested in the city, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. On 9 January, a police officer informed Abdi’s family of his death and asked them to retrieve his body from the military hospital in Kermanshah. When the family arrived, however, conflicting statements emerged, with law enforcement officials claiming…
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Imprisoned Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin, who was arrested by Iranian security forces during anti-government protests in Tehran last September, has described in a new audio file the physical and psychological torture he has endured, including staged executions and the infliction of a nose injury, as a result of intense interrogation by security officers aimed at extracting forced “confessions”. The message was recorded before Yasin was…
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The detained Kurdish civilians Musa Esmaeili and Peyman Galvani have been tortured to death over the past two days in the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan province, north-west Iran. Esmaeili, a 31-year-old father of two, was arrested by security forces on 7 May in the village of Pasveh in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, and taken to the Ministry of Intelligence detention…
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Prison guards at the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary killed prisoner Saman Darvishi under torture on 8 May, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. The 31-year-old prisoner, from Harsin in Kermanshah province, was arrested about a year ago for robbery. The prisoner was also beaten several times last year on the pretext that he had injured a law enforcement officer while in custody, KHRN has…
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Mahsa (Zhina) Amini died on 16 September after she was hospitalized following her arrest and torture by morality police in Tehran. She passed away at the intensive care unit of Kasra Hospital in Tehran. She was arrested on 13 September for having worn the hijab “inappropriately” and was beaten by the morality police on the way to a detention facility. Her family members and civilians gathered outside the…
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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 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
Iran executed at least seven prisoners in April, four being on drug-related charges, two on charges of “premeditated murder”, and one political prisoner on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi), according to KHRN’s findings.
On 21 April, the family of Kurdish political prisoner Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heidaranlou was summoned to the Orumiyeh Prosecutor’s Office and informed that the prisoner had been executed. The Deputy Prosecutor, Behzad Sarkhanlou, informed them that the prisoner had been transferred from Orumiyeh to Tehran and that his death sentence had been carried out.
*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
In April, a Kurdish woman was reported to have been the victim of femicide. On 3 April, Azita Fallahi, a 36-year-old mother of two, was beaten to death by her husband in Sonqor, Kermanshah Province.
Kolbars
Last month, at least one man died of cardiac arrest while working as a kolbar and two others were shot and wounded by Iranian border guards in the Baneh border area.
Detentions and arrests
In April, Iranian forces arrested at least 11 people, two of whom were sent to prison to serve their sentences.
Sentences
During this period, Iranian courts sentenced a religious activist to 22 months in prison and another man to five months in prison and a fine.