A prisoner detained at Orumiyeh Central Prison charged with robbery was sentenced to hand amputation by Branch 1 of the Criminal Court (Children & Adolescents Division) in Orumiyeh. Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has been informed that Kasra Karami, born in 1980 as son of Yadollah from Kermanshah who was arrested on October 2015, was sentenced to hand Amputation by Branch 1 of the Orumiyeh…
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A prisoner of ordinary crimes, who had been on hunger strike at Tabriz Central Prison since Sept 22, 2018 died yesterday on Sept 24, 2018 due to heart stroke. According to Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), this prisoner has been identified as Biok Lotfollahzadeh, (61 years old from Tabriz ) who was a retired employee of the Electricity Utility Company. He only had to…
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Ali Baderkhani, a prisoner who went on hunger strike for 7 days on August 7, 2018, in protest to not being transferred to the political prisoners’ ward in addition to being under the pressure of prison authorities, was beaten by several dangerous crimes prisoners who were provoked by the ward authorities. In this regard, an informed source has told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN)…
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A Kurdish political prisoner detained in Orumiyeh central prison has gone on hunger strike after being transferred to a solitary confinement cell. Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has been informed that Ghader Mohammad Zadeh, who was transferred to solitary confinement on June 09 after protesting to being deprived of a bed (forced to give up his bed to another prisoner as a punishment) as well…
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A Kurdish political prisoner detained in Orumiyeh Central Prison was transferred to solitary confinement on authorities orders. Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has been informed that prison authorities went to section 3-4 without offering any specific reason on June 09 and asked the Kurdish political prisoner known Ghader Mohammad Zadeh to give up his bed to another prisoner as a punishment. The political prisoner resisted…
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This morning, on Tuesday, May 22, the prison authorities have confiscated the knitting tools of political prisoners at ward 3 of Miandoab Prison under the pretext of knitting the “Kurdistan Flag” although these knitting tools formed the sole source of these prisoner’s livelihoods. An informed source told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that, this morning, several Guards of Miandoab Prison have raided ward 3, inspected…
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The former Cellmate of the Kurdish political prisoner Zeynab Jalalian, has passed away suspiciously in her home. She was reportedly under pressure and threatened by the Kermanshah Intelligence Office due to her contacts with Zeynab Jalalian, Kermanshah Forensic Medicine has declared the cause of death as suicide. Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has been informed that on Oct 14, 2017, the body of Zahra Azade…
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On Wednesday,January 3, during a siege of one of the villages of Piranshahr by the Intelligence Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRCG), a clash took place between these forces and Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran. As a result of this incident, six members of the Ministry of Intelligence and IRCG were killed. Following the outbreak of the conflict, reports from Hamza Seyyed al-Shohda’s…
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On Jan 1, 2018, one of the Baloch prisoners Birjand Central Prison was transferred to solitary confinement cell after a clash with another prisoner and was killed by the head of the Prison Special Guard with electric Shocker. Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has been informed that On Monday, Jan 1, 2018, Abdul Rahman Naroui, son of Abdul Hamid from Zahedan, was transferred to solitary…
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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.