Special reports Archives – KHRN

March 17, 2023

Special report: Mohyeddin Ebrahimi’s arrest, trial, execution

Kurdish political prisoner Mohyeddin Ebrahimi was executed today at Orumiyeh Central Prison, in north-western Iran. At the same time, the death sentences of four other Kurdish civilians, Yasin Rashidi, Jahanbakhsh Radloui, Salim (Mohammad) Ayoubian, and Foruhar Abbasnezhad, who were sentenced to death on drug-related charges, were also executed. On 15 March, Ebrahimi was moved from the ward for political prisoners to solitary confinement and was visited…

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Details of 121 Kurdish people killed during Mahsa (Jina) Amini protests in Iran

According to Iran Human Rights, a total of 481 people have been killed so far during the Mahsa (Jina) Amini protests across Iran, including in Iran’s Kurdish region. KHRN data of confirmed deaths of Kurdish people shows that 121 Kurds have been killed by Iranian security forces during the protests. KHRN has verified this information via multiple sources. At least two sources have confirmed the deaths…

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June 7, 2022

Kermanshah: Situation of women’s section in Juvenile Detention Centre

The families of some of the prisoners in the women’s ward of the Juvenile Detention Centre in Kermanshah spoke to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) about the grave situation in the prison. The families say about 70 women and a child are currently being held in the ward’s five rooms. Most of these prisoners are forced to sleep on the floor due to the…

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November 25, 2021

Special report: 61 women committed suicide, 25 murdered in seven months in Kurdistan, Iran

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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November 5, 2021

Special report: Anniversary of Kurdish political prisoner Sherko Moarefi’s execution

On 3 November 2013, Kurdish political prisoner Sherko Moarefi was suddenly transferred to solitary confinement in Saqqez Prison without the prior notice of his lawyer and family. He was executed in prison the next morning, on 4 November. The body of this political prisoner was buried the same day in the city of Baneh under strict security measures. On the eighth anniversary of his execution, the Kurdistan…

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October 29, 2021

A Report by Kurdistan Human Rights Network on Secret Detention Centres of Iranian Security Institutions in Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Orumiyeh

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has prepared this report to draw the attention of international human rights organisations to the situation of secret detention centres of two security agencies, the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in Iranian Kurdistan. The report briefly addresses the location of these secret detention centres and the detention conditions, interrogation, and…

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October 25, 2021

Special report: Execution anniversary of Kurdish political prisoners Habibollah Golparipour and Reza Mamadi

On 25 October 2013, Habibollah Golparipour in Orumiyeh Central Prison and Reza Mamadi in Salmas Prison were suddenly transferred to solitary confinement without the prior notice of their lawyers and families. The following morning, the two Kurdish political prisoners were executed. Security and judicial officials refused to hand over the bodies to the families and did not even specify their burial locations. Mamadi’s family managed to…

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September 13, 2021

Special report: Executed Kurdish political prisoner Kamal Ahmadnezhad

Three years ago, Iran executed Kurdish political prisoner Kamal Ahmadnezhad in Miandoab Central Prison in West Azerbaijan province on 10 September 2018. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) had previously collected and published details on the arrest, torture under detention, court process, and execution of Kamal Ahmadnezhad. These details are republished in this report on the occasion of the anniversary of his execution. Arrest, false charges, unfair…

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September 7, 2021

Special report: Execution process of Kurdish political prisoner Behrouz Alkhani

Thursday, 26 August, marked the anniversary of the execution of the Kurdish political prisoner Behrouz Alkhani in Orumiyeh Central Prison in 2015. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) had previously collected and published details from the arrest and court process of Behrouz Alkhani to the issuance and execution of his death sentence, as well as the secret burial and discovery of his body by his…

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NEWS

Child bride shot dead by husband, stepbrothers in Sardasht

Fatemeh Mohammad-Panahi, a 17-year-old child bride, was shot dead by her husband and two stepbrothers on 29 September in the village of Marghan in…

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Two prisoners executed for murder in Khorramabad’s Parsiloun prison

Prisoners Sasan Farzipour and Mohammad Bagher Bazgir were executed on murder-related offences in Parsiloun Prison in Khorramabad, Lorestan Province, on 30 September. The prisoners…

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Iran border guards shoot dead young kolbar in Baneh

Border forces near the Hangeh-ye Zhal border area in Baneh, Kurdistan Province, opened fire on a group of kolbars without warning and at close…

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Kurdish activist held in substandard conditions in Sanandaj prison

Kurdish civil rights activist Hiro Ghadimi faces inadequate conditions and is denied access to necessary medical care in the women’s ward of Sanandaj Prison….

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Kurdish political prisoner on death row begins hunger strike

Nayeb Askari, a Kurdish political prisoner facing a death sentence, went on a hunger strike on 28 September in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province, in…

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Civilian released on heavy bail after over three months of detention

Afkham Moradian, a resident of Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, was temporarily released from the city’s prison today after more than three months of detention on…

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Four women detained without judicial order in Saqqez

Four civilians, including Solmaz Hassanzadeh, the sister of Mohammad Hassanzadeh, one of the victims of last year’s anti-government protests in Bukan, West Azerbaijan Province,…

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Prisoner tortured, moved to solitary by Orumiyeh prison officers

Prison officers at Orumiyeh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan Province tortured prisoner Farzin Nouri and transferred him to solitary confinement on 25 September, the…

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KJAR member’s fate remains unknown two months after arrest in Sanandaj

The whereabouts and fate of Varisheh Moradi, a member of the East Kurdistan Free Women Society (KJAR) with the organisational code name of Jwana…

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Kurdish political prisoner’s health deteriorates amid medical neglect

Kurdish political prisoner Motalleb Ahmadian, who has been battling a range of serious health conditions including diaphragmatic hernia, spinal canal stenosis, and urinary tract…

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Security forces arrest four after memorial event for protest victim

On the anniversary of the death of Mohsen Gheysari, one of the victims of the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising in Ilam,…

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August 2023: Human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network’s (KHRN) recent investigations have revealed numerous cases of human rights violations against Kurdish civilians and activists from Iran in August 2023.

Our Documentation and Statistics Centre has compiled a comprehensive report on the various violations perpetrated against these individuals, which we present in this monthly report.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network’s (KHRN) recent investigations have revealed numerous cases of human rights violations against Kurdish civilians and activists from Iran in August 2023.

Our Documentation and Statistics Centre has compiled a comprehensive report on the various violations perpetrated against these individuals, which we present in this monthly report.

Executions

According to these findings, Iran executed at least 13 prisoners over the past month in Sanandaj, Saqqez, Khorramabad, Karaj, Hamadan, and Dezful.

While three prisoners were executed on charges of “premeditated murder”, 10 were executed for drug-related offences.

These are the executions of which the KHRN has been informed by its sources. However, the number of those executed is likely to be higher.

Kolbars and tradesmen

In August, at least four kolbars were killed and 16 were injured in the country’s western border areas.

Of these, 18 were shot by Iranian border guards and one was killed after he was hit by a military vehicle of the border forces.

In addition, one kolbar was injured after being shot by Iraqi border forces in the Choman border of Baneh on 7 August.

Killings of civilians

On 17 August, a Kurdish soldier from Maku, West Azerbaijan Province, was shot dead at a military base in Qasr-e Shirin, Kermanshah Province.

Work accidents

Over the past month, at least six workers lost their lives in work accidents in Qasr-e Shirin, Tabriz, Saqqez, Maku, Javanrud and Ilam.

Detentions and arrests

Throughout August, Iranian forces arrested at least 60 civilians, including activists, journalists, Kurdish Sunni clerics and two children.

Two of these civilians were detained to serve prison sentences in Ilam and Naqadeh.

Prison sentences

Over the past month, Iranian courts sentenced at least 10 people to prison terms ranging from six months to a total of 16 and a half years.

Half of these sentences were handed down by Branch 101 of the Criminal Court of Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province.

  • Executions
  • Killings of civilians
  • Detentions and arrests
  • Kolbars
  • Prison sentences
NameFromCharged withExecution dateExecution locationExplanation
1Javad AkbariKuhdashtDrugs2 AugParsiloun Prison of Khorramabad
2Sharif AkbariNurabadDrugs2 AugParsiloun Prison of Khorramabad
3Kianoush TeymouriKuhdashtDrugs2 AugParsiloun Prison of Khorramabad
4Ahad HashemiHarsinDrugs9 AugHamadan Central Prison
5Manouchehr KhazaEiKangavarDrugs9 AugHamadan Central Prison
6Afshin Rahimi-HedayatKangavarDrugs10 AugHamadan Central Prison30 years old
7Saeid BiranvandKhorramabadPremeditated murder13 AugParsiloun Prison of Khorramabad
8Ebrahim MowloudpourBukanDrugs16 AugDezful Prison
9Shorash MorovvatiSaqqezPremeditated murder22 AugSanandaj Central Prison
10Rahman EbrahimiKuhdashtDrugs23 AugGhezel Hesar Prison in Karaj
11Kiyoumars RezaeiKuhdashtDrugs23 AugGhezel Hesar Prison in Karaj
12Behrouz RahmaniVaraminDrugs23 AugGhezel Hesar Prison in Karaj
13Vafa KharamaniSaqqezPremeditated murder27 AugSaqqez Prison
NameLocationDateExplanation
1Rahman ShamsQasr-e Shirin17 AugFrom Maku, shot at the army base in Qasr-e Shirin
NameDetention locationDetention dateActivityLocation held and latest status
1Vali MohseniAbdanan1 AugCivilianUnknown
2Pouria AhmadiSanandaj1 AugCivil rights activist and former political prisonerTaken to a Ministry of Intelligence detention center
3Sahar AhmadiSanandaj1 AugCivilianReleased on bail
4Barzin AhmadiSanandaj1 AugChildPouria Ahmadi’s child, who was handed over to his family
5Alan ArdeshiriMarivan2 AugCivilianUnknown
6Arsalan YousefiBukan5 AugCivilianArrested after being summoned to Ministry of Intelligence in Bukan
7Ramin HassannezhadRabat8 AugCivil rights activistUnknown
8Behzad SharifiSanandaj9 AugCivilianUnknown
9Hasan MardaniBukan10 AugCivilianUnknown
10Loghman PishyarBukan10 AugCivilianUnknown
11Reza BabrnezhadQuchan11 AugCivilianUnknown
12Bahar AhmadiSanandaj12 AugCivilianUnknown
13Mohsen DivaliBaneh13 AugKolbarUnknown
14Hadi RasoulianBaneh13 AugKolbarUnknown
15Zilan MolaeiSanandaj13 AugStudentReleased on bail
16Zaryan MolaeiSanandaj13 AugStudentReleased on bail
17Nazila MaroofianTehran14 AugJournalistReleased on bail
18Loghman SokhanvarPiranshahr15 AugCivilianUnknown
19Houshiar GhaderiPiranshahr15 Aug17-year-old childUnknown
20Hiva ShabahangOshnavieh15 AugCivilianUnknown
21Arslan KheyriMahabad15 AugCivilianUnknown
22Mamal SharifiMahabad15 AugCivilianUnknown
23Hossein MahmoudpourPiranshahr15 AugCivilianUnknown
24Amanj KhastehMahabad16 AugCivilianUnknown
25Ayoub MirzaeiOshnavieh16 AugCivilianUnknown
26Shirvan KhezriOshnavieh16 AugCivilianUnknown
27Hedayat KhastehMahabad16 AugCivilianUnknown
28Sherko NasiriMahabad16 AugCivilianUnknown
29Ashkan RasouliMahabad16 AugCivilianUnknown
30Hiva RahneshinMahabad16 AugCivilianUnknown
31Hamzeh GhaneiPiranshahr16 AugCivilianUnknown
32Omar HosseinzadehPiranshahr16 AugCivilianUnknown
33Firmesk BabaeiPaveh17 AugCivilianUnknown
34Hedi AbdolbakhtOshnavieh17 AugCivilianUnknown
35Najmaddin EisazadehOshnavieh17 AugCivilianUnknown
36Ziba GhelichkhaniBijar17 AugCivilianTaken to Juvenile Detention Centre of Sanandaj
37Khadijeh MehdipourIlam17 AugFormer political prisonerTaken to Ilam Prison to serve 3 months and one day
38Moein SharifianPiranshahr17 AugCivilianUnknown
39Moein FaqihiJavanrud18 AugCivilianUnknown
40Zana ParvanehMarivan19 AugCivilianUnknown
41Hesam KaramiKamyaranMid AugCivilianUnknown
42Sirvan KaramiKamyaranMid AugCivilianUnknown
43Afshin SaediKamyaran21 AugCivilianUnknown
44Amir SeyyediMahabad21 AugCivilianUnknown
45Samad ShaboyiOshnavieh21 AugCivilianArrested after being summoned to Ministry of Intelligence
46Mohammad Hossein AbdiMarivan21 AugCivilianTaken to a security detention centre in Sanandaj
47Mobin DaharOshnavieh22 AugCivilianUnknown
48Sharmin HabibiSaqqez22 AugFamily member of a protest victimUnknown
49Mashallah KaramiTehran22 AugFamily member of a protest victimUnknown
50Yousef FathizadehBadreh22 AugCivilianUnknown
51Reza OlfatiKermanshah22 AugAthleteUnknown
52Mohammad Taher HosseinpourNaqadeh23 AugCivilianUnknown
53Amir ArzhangiMarivan24 AugCivilianUnknown
54Sattar ArzhangiMarivan24 AugCivilianUnknown
55Khaled Mehr-AsaMarivan26 AugCivilianUnknown
56Mohammad SharifiBukan27 AugKurdish Sunni clericTaken to Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in Orumiyeh
57Saro MostajerSaqqez28 AugCivilianUnknown
58Jamal AlizadehNaqadeh29 AugCivil rights activistTaken to Naqadeh Prison to serve 30 months
59Nazila MaroofianTehran30 AugJournalistUnknown
60Bakhtyar MohammadzadehIlam31 AugCivilianArrested after being summoned to Ministry of Intelligence in Ilam
NameFromIncident locationIncident dateDied/InjuredExplanation
1Arkan RahmaniJavanrudNowsud border areas1 AugInjuredShot by border guards
2Layegh DarvishiJavanrudNowsud border areas1 AugInjuredShot by border guards
3Mehran AhmadiJavanrudNowsud border areas3 AugInjuredShot by border guards
4Houshyar Amini DosinehBanehKhouri Abad checkpoint in Baneh3 AugKilledShot by border guards
5Rasoul GagoshiSardashtEntrance to Baneh5 AugKilledCollision with the car of a Border Regiment
6Omid VeysiJavanrudNowsud border areas6 AugInjuredShot by border guards
7Ehsan RasouliPavehNowsud border areas6 AugInjuredShot by border guards
8Nima AazamiJavanrudNowsud border areas6 AugInjuredShot by border guards
9Salam VeysiJavanrudNowsud border areas6 AugInjuredShot by border guards
10Milad BazaniJavanrudNowsud border areas6 AugInjuredShot by border guards
11Houshyar BazaniJavanrudNowsud border areas6 AugInjuredShot by border guards
12Farshad (surname unknown)Salas-e BabajaniNowsud border areas6 AugInjuredShot by border guards
13Aso KarimiPavehNowsud border areas6 AugKilledShot by border guards
14Hassan ForghaniBanehChoman border in Baneh7 AugInjuredShot by border Iraqi guards
15Shayan ZahmatkeshPavehNowsud border areas12 AugInjuredShot by border guards
16Arsalan Rasouli NalasHengeh-ye Zhal border areas13 AugKilledShot by border guards
17Taher Esmaeil TavanaSardashtHengeh-ye Zhal border areas13 AugInjuredShot by border guards
18Jalal SohrabiBanehBaneh border17 AugInjuredShot by border guards
19Omid LotfiMarivanKelieh border in Baneh22 AugInjuredShot by border guards
NameResident ofCharged withDate sentencedIssuing courtSentenceExplanation
1Fereshteh MansouriSarablehPublishing lies with the intention of disturbing the public mind5 AugBranch 101 of the Criminal Court of Chardavol, Ilam6 months and one day imprisonmentSuspended for three years
2Seyvan EbrahimiSanandajDisturbing public order22 AugBranch 106 of the Criminal Court of Sanandajone year in prison, 40 lashes and exile to Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah
3Osman EsmaeiliSaqqezMembership of the Komala Kurdistan’s Organisation of the Communist Party of Iran, actions against national security, propaganda against the state25 AugBranch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in SaqqezTotal of 39 months in prison
4Rahim ShameiOrumiyehDestruction and looting of property with violence and assault, participation in deliberate destruction of property, production and assembly of non-military explosive materials27 AugBranch 101 of the Criminal Court of MahabadTotal of 12.5 years, 74 lashes, paying double the value of the confiscated items to the Treasury of the Islamic Republic of Iran
5Yassin MostafapourMahabadDestruction and looting of property with violence and assault, participation in deliberate destruction of property, rebellion against military and police officers, disturbing public order and peace27 AugBranch 101 of the Criminal Court of MahabadTotal of 9.5 years in prison, 74 lashes
6Salah MousaviradMahabadDestruction and looting of property with violence and assault, participation in deliberate destruction of property27 AugBranch 101 of the Criminal Court of Mahabad42 months and one day in prison, 1.5 years in prison
7Iraj EbrahimzadehDestruction and looting of property with violence and assault, participation in deliberate destruction of property27 AugBranch 101 of the Criminal Court of Mahabad43 months and one day in prison, 1.5 years in prison
8Behnam RasekhniaMahabadDestruction and looting of property with violence and assault, participation in deliberate destruction of property, burning the marriage document belonging to Asghar Mohammadi27 AugBranch 101 of the Criminal Court of MahabadTotal of 16.5 years in prison
9Mahvash TavassoliPiranshahrPropaganda against the state28 AugIslamic Revolutionary Court in Piranshahr2 years’ probation with electronic monitoring
10Jotyar AshrafzadehPiranshahrassembly and collusion with the intention to commit crimes against national security28 AugIslamic Revolutionary Court in Piranshahr3 years imprisonment