An Iranian court has sentenced Kurdish political prisoner Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini to living eight years in internal exile in the Heris district of the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan after his release.
Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mahabad, in West Azerbaijan province, charged him with “enmity against God” (moharebeh) through membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI).
The same court had previously sentenced Hosseini to 40 years in prison and internal exile in Orumiyeh Central Prison on the same charge, which was overturned by the country’s Supreme Court.
On 7 February, the political prisoner was informed that he would be released from Naqadeh Prison in the coming days and be exiled to Heris.
His trial was held a few weeks ago in Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mahabad.
Background
In 2017, Hosseini left the lines of the KDPI in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Later, he received a letter of safe-conduct from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and returned to Iran.
A few months later, security forces arrested him on 9 January 2018.
In June 2021, Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mahabad sentenced Hosseini to 40 years in prison and internal exile in Orumiyeh Central Prison.
It charged him with “enmity against God” (moharebeh) through membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI).
In December 2021, after the political prisoner appealed against the ruling, the Supreme Court overturned the sentence due to lacking sufficient documents in the case and referred it again to Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mahabad.
