Detained Kurdish actor and former political activist Moslem Jafari Ramashti was released yesterday from Tehran’s Evin Prison on a heavy bail of 8 billion Tomans – nearly 160,000 USD.
Ramashti was arrested by security forces in the border village of Tarsabad in Khoy, West Azerbaijan province, on 11 September 2022 and taken to detention facility 209 of the Evin prison.
The artist had returned to the country from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and was planning to immigrate to Europe.
Ramashti, a former senior member of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), lost his right hand in an explosion in the war against the Islamic State (IS) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq between 2014 and 2016.
He left PAK in 2017 and has not been involved in any political activities ever since. He has only been engaged in artistic activities.
In December 2021, he received the best actor award for his role in the movie Dirty Lands at the Duhok International Film Festival in the Kurdistan Region.
After his arrest, Ramashti was denied the right to access medical care and to have a lawyer, Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned.
In February, he was eventually transferred to a hospital in Tehran. He was allowed to receive a visit by a family member after providing a bail of 1 billion Tomans – nearly 20,000 USD – for treatment.
His hand and kidneys were severely infected when he was arrested, KHRN has learned.
The former political activist’s case has been referred to the Branch Seven of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office.
So far, no detailed information on the charges brought against him is available.
