Public protests against the state killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini continue in the fourth week in Sanandaj, Saqqez, Dehgolan, Divandarre, Kermanshah, Marivan, Mahabad, Bukan, Kamyaran, Javanrud, Salas-e Babajani and Qorveh despite the tense security atmosphere and the militarisation of these cities.
Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN)’s investigations show that since the beginning of the protests, the anti-riot and the paramilitary Basij forces killed at least 30 protesters, including five children, in Orumiyeh, Oshnavieh, Piranshahr, Divandarreh, Saqqez, Sanandaj, Marivan, Kermanshah, Eslamabad-e Gharb, Ilam, Qazvin, Varamin and Karaj.
During this period, armed forces injured at least 825 protestors. These included at least three civilians who lost sight of one of their eyes after being hit by a shotgun bullet in their face in Divandarreh, Orumiyeh and Bijar.
Also, more than 2,000 protestors were detained in Orumiyeh, Oshnavieh, Takab, Mahabad, Piranshahr, Bukan, Saqqez, Divandarreh, Qorveh, Bijar, Dehgolan, Marivan, Baneh, Kamyaran, Javanrud, Paveh, Kermanshah, Salase- Babajani, Eslamabad West, Ilam and Abdanan have been arrested.
Several detained protestors, who were released after some time by providing bail or signing an undertaking, reported that they, and other detainees, were tortured in security detention centres in different cities.
According to these people, many detainees who were severely tortured by the officers of the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were not released due to the “torture traces on their bodies”.
One of the protesters who was released in Orumiyeh in the past few days told KHRN that about 256 people who were arrested by various security agencies in different areas of Orumiyeh were transferred to the youth ward of the Orumiyeh Central Prison.
According to this source, most of these people were kept in the detention centre of the Security Police in Orumiyeh, known as the 9-Pelleh. During this time they were severely tortured with batons by the officers.
The source said: “After several days of interrogation and torture in the 9-Pelleh detention centre, all detainees were sentenced to six months of suspended imprisonment on charges of “acting against national security” and in the presence of an investigator from Branch 10 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office.”
This source added: “At least 50 children who were arrested during the protests were transferred from the security police detention centre to a Juvenile Detention Centre. Also, 256 other people were transferred to the youth ward of Orumiyeh Central Prison, which was evacuated to keep the detainees of the recent protests. During the transfer of the detainees to the prison, the prison guards formed a terror tunnel in the main entrance of the prison, forced the detainees to pass through this tunnel and severely beat them.”
At least 385 people were arrested and kept in the detention centres of the Security Police, the Criminal Investigation Department, the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organisation of the (IRGC), the source said.
Currently, there is no information about the fates and conditions of dozens of protesters who were injured during the arrests.
Another civilian in Kermanshah told the KHRN that dozens of protesters who were arrested during the protests in Kermanshah were kept in the detention centre of the Intelligence Organisation of the IRGC in Nabi-Akram barracks.
“The detainees, among whom children were also seen, have been severely tortured to make forced confessions”, the source said.
According to this source, at least 650 protestors have been arrested by the Security Police, the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organisation of the (IRGC) during the protests in Kermanshah.
Some protesters who were released in recent days told KHRN that they were severely tortured with batons and sticks for several hours during their detentions by IRGC officers in Mahabad, Bukan, Saqqez, Divandarreh, Marivan, Sanandaj, Kamyaran, Kermanshah, Eslamabad-e Gharb, Javanrud, Qorveh and Bijar.
In addition, in the past few days, with the continuation of public protests in Sanandaj, anti-riot forces, Basij forces and plainclothes targeted residential buildings with tear gas and shotguns.
Several sources in Sanandaj spoke to the KHRN and said: “On 8 October, the anti-riot forces and the Basij units of the IRGC opened fire on the door of a residential house on Jam-e Jam Street. Also, in the past few nights, civilian houses in the Baharan neighbourhood were targeted with tear gases, and due to suffocation caused by tear gas, several civilians were taken to medical centres.”
Identities of civilians killed during protests:
- Mohsen Mohammadi was from Divandarreh and was wounded by anti-riot forces on 19 September during protests in the city. He died the next day due to the severity of his injuries in Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj.
- Fereydoun Mahmoudi, 33, who was from Saqqez and the father of two children, was shot and killed by anti-riot forces on 19 September during protests in the city.
- Reza Lotfi, who was from Dehgolan, was shot and killed by anti-riot forces on 19 September during protests in the city.
- Farjad Darvishi, 23, was from the Balu village in Orumiyeh. He was shot and killed by anti-riot forces during a protest rally in the Valiasr neighbourhood of Orumiyeh on 20 September.
- Zakariya Khiyal was a 16 years old child from Piranshahr. He was killed by anti-riot forces on the streets of Piranshahr on 20 September.
- Minou Majidi, 55, was the mother of three children and came from Kermanshah. She was killed by anti-riot forces in Nobahar Street of this city.
- Foad Ghadimi, 39, was from Divandarreh and the father of two children. He was injured on 19 September during the popular protests in the city and died after being hospitalized for two days in Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj.
- Danesh Rahnema, 22, was from the Balu village of Orumiyeh. He was killed by Basij forces on 21 September during the protests held in his village.
- Abdollah Mahmudpour, 16, was from the Balu village of Orumiyeh. He was killed by Basij forces on 21 September during the protests held in his village.
- Amin Marefat, 16, was from Oshnavieh. He was killed by anti-riot forces on 21 September during protests in this city.
- Milan Haghigi, 21, was from Oshnavieh. He was killed by anti-riot forces on 21 September during protests in this city.
- Sadraddin Litani, 27, was from Piranshahr. He was killed by anti-riot forces on 21 September during protests in this city.
- Mohsen Gheysari, 13, was from Ilam. He was killed by anti-riot forces on the Taleghani Street of Ilam on 21 September.
- Amir Ali Fouladi was from Eslamabad-e Gharb. He was killed by the armed forces near the governorate building of Eslamabad-e Gharb on 21 September.
- Saeid Mohammadi, 25, was from Eslamabad-e Gharb. He was killed by the armed forces near the governorate building of Eslamabad-e Gharb on 21 September.
- Iman Mohammadi, 22, was from Eslamabad-e Gharb. He was killed by the armed forces near the governorate building of Eslamabad-e Gharb on 21 September.
- Reza Shahparnia, 23, was from Kermanshah. He was shot at by anti-riot forces in Kermanshah on 20 September. Dozens of shotgun shots hit his body and a bullet hit his heart. After two days, his body was handed over to his family and was buried in Kermanshah.
- Amir Hossein Basati, 16, was from Kermanshah. He was shot from a distance of few meters and killed by anti-riot forces in Kermanshah on 21 September.
- Mohammad Zarei was a civilian from Sonqor in Kermanshah province and was a resident of Qarchak-e Varamin. He was shot dead by armed forces on 21 September during the protests held in the Bagherabad neighbourhood of Qarchak-e Varamin.
- Alireza Fathi, 22, was from Sonqor in Kermanshah province. He was killed by security forces on 21 September in Alvand industrial town in Qazvin.
- Rouzbeh Khademian, 32, was from Sonqor in Kermanshah province and a resident of Karaj. He was killed by security forces on 21 September during the protests held in Karaj.
- Abdolsalam Ghader Galvani, 32, was from Oshnavieh. He was shot by Iranian armed forces during the recent public protests on 21 September. He died on 26 September due to the severity of his injuries at Khomeini Hospital in Orumiyeh.
- Samad Barginia, 52, was from Piranshahr. He was shot by Iranian armed forces during the recent public protests on 20 September. He died on 28 September due to the severity of his injuries at Khomeini Hospital in Orumiyeh.
- Mokhtar Ahmadi was from Marivan. He was killed by Iranian armed forces on 1 October during the protests in this city.
- Nima Shafaghdoust, 16, was from Orumiyeh. He was severely injured by dozens of shotgun shots fired by anti-riot forces during the protests in the city. The body of this child was handed over to his family on 5 October at Khomeini Hospital in Orumiyeh.
- Peyman Menbari, 25, was from Sanandaj. He was shot and killed by plainclothes officers on 8 October during the protests in the city.
- Dariush Alizadeh was from Sanandaj. He was shot by the security forces during the protests on Sirous Street on 8 October.
- Mohammad Amini, 33, was from Sanandaj. He was shot by security forces from a close range during protests in the city on the night of 8 October.
- Yahya Rahemi was from Sanandaj. He was shot with a shotgun by plainclothes forces on 8 October over honking his car’s horn while he was driving on Taj Street.
- Arin Moridi was a young man from Salas-e Babajani, Kermanshah province. He was wounded by security forces on 9 October during the first day of protests in the city. He died the next day due to the severity of his injuries in a medical centre in Kermanshah.