Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, has sentenced Kurdish political prisoner Yousef Ahmadi to death on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi) through membership in a Kurdish opposition party and “taking part in the murder of two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)”.
At the same time, three other defendants in the case, Mohammad Karimi, Baaset Karimi and Mohammad Feyzi, were sentenced to 25, 20 and 20 years’ imprisonment respectively for their alleged “assistance in armed insurrection”.
The four Kurdish civilians, from Baneh, Kurdistan Province, were arrested by security forces on 27 April 2020 and taken to the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre of in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province.
During their detention, they were subjected to severe physical and psychological torture for forced “confessions” and were deprived of their right to communicate or meet with their families for several months.
In addition, Yousef Ahmadi and death row prisoners Hemin Mostafaei and Shorash Morovvati were severely beaten by prison guards during a crackdown on prisoners at Sanandaj Central Prison on 1 October 2022.
They were then transferred again from the prison to the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in the city, where they were subjected to several months of interrogation and torture.
Later, Mostafaei was executed on 21 June and Morovvati on 22 August, both in Sanandaj Central Prison.