Branch 31 of Iran’s Supreme Court in Qom has upheld the death sentence of Kurdish political prisoner Shaker Behrouz.

In January, Branch 1 of the Criminal Court of Orumiyeh had sentenced Behrouz to the death penalty for alleged “premeditated murder” of a member of the IRGC.

On 28 September, the Supreme Court’s verdict, which was confirmed ten days ago, was notified to the prisoner in Orumiyeh Central Prison.

Also, in September 2020, the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh had sentenced the political prisoner to the death penalty on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi) through “membership in the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan”.

However, in July, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling and referred the case to the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh for review.

Shaker Behrooz has been sentenced to death for alleged “premeditated murder” without any evidence proving he committed the murder.

Twelve residents of the Dizaj village in the Margavar district of Orumiyeh have testified that he was in Dizaj at the time of the murder.

Meanwhile, the IRGC’s Basij forces member, Mamel Mohammadi, was killed in another village of Orumiyeh.

Also, the victim’s family initially refused to file a complaint against Shaker Behrouz, but were forced to do so following pressure and threats from the Intelligence Organisation of the IRGC.

Shaker Behrouz, a resident of Orumiyeh, presented himself to the office of the intelligence ministry in Orumiyeh in late 2018 after receiving a letter of safe conduct and returning from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The Kurdish political prisoner was released after 14 days of interrogation.

On 17 February 2019, three months after his release, the Intelligence Protection Organisation of the IRGC arrested Behrouz on charges of “killing a member of the IRGC”.

They severely tortured him – both physically and mentally – under interrogation for a year and 18 days in the IRGC’s al-Mahdi base in Orumiyeh.

In a session that lasted no more than several minutes, Branch 2 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh sentenced the Kurdish political prisoner to five years in prison on charges of “acting against national security” through “membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan”.

The Intelligence Organisation of the IRGC accused Shaker Behrouz of “armed insurrection” (baghi) through “membership in the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan” and the “murder” of an IRGC member.

The political prisoner was sentenced to death in two separate cases on each of these charges.