Branch 3 of the Criminal Court 1 in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan province, has sentenced a detained Kurdish woman named Saada Khedirzadeh to 12 years and six months in prison.
The court charged Khedirzadeh with “aiding and abetting the murder” of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member named Khedr Peyrouti and “helping a suspect to escape”.
This Kurdish woman who comes from Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, was held in detention for the past 11 months.
The political prisoner’s court hearing was held by video conference on 24 August, and the verdict was announced today to her family.
Reportedly, in the coming days, Khadirzadeh’s next trial will be held at the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mahabad on charges of “acting against national security” through membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI).
On 18 August, Khedirzadeh attempted to commit suicide by hanging herself due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding her case and pressure of the security agencies on the women’s ward of Orumiyeh Central Prison, where she was being held.
On 22 June, she was returned to Orumiyeh prison from the hospital before her treatment was completed after she gave birth by caesarean section.
The hospital medical staff reacted to the prison officers when they tied Khedirzadeh’s hands and feet to the hospital bed at the instruction of prison authorities.
In May, the civilian went on a hunger strike for 11 days to protest against the continuation of her uncertain situation in prison.
She had ended her hunger strike due to the promise of the prison authorities to release her on bail, but so far, the Mahabad court has refused her temporary release for unknown reasons.
Khedirzadeh suffers from kidney, heart, and lumbar disc diseases simultaneously.
Security forces arrested Khedirzadeh in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, on 14 October 2021. She was transferred to a security detention centre in Orumiyeh.
After 12 days of interrogation, she was transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison. She is currently being held in the women’s ward of the prison.
Amnesty International issued a statement stating that Khedirzadeh had not been allowed access to a lawyer since her arrest.
Amnesty said: “Her detention is contrary to the standards of a fair trial and is considered arbitrary under international law because she has been detained for a long time without knowing the reasons for her detention and has been denied access to a lawyer.”
