Kurdistan Human Rights Network

Kurdish political prisoner Hatem Ozdemir, who holds Turkish citizenship, has again been sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of "enmity against God" (moharebeh). This decision follows a previous death sentence by Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Khoy, West Azerbaijan Province, on charges of "armed insurrection" (baghi), which was overturned by the Supreme Court in March 2023. Ozdemir's trial took...

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, 17 May, serves as a reminder of the history of oppression and violence faced by queer individuals in many societies and countries, where their gender identity and sexual orientation have been pathologised and criminalised. It also commemorates the struggle and resistance of queer people to destigmatise and decriminalise their identities and orientations, fighting for equal rights. In...

In recent years, holding Newroz ceremonies in the form of large public celebrations with Kurdish symbols, lighting fires, collective dances, epic songs and in many cases political slogans has become a tradition in the cities and villages of Kurdistan. This tradition, apart from its cultural aspect and the Newroz calendar occasion, has roots in the mythological interpretation of Newroz as a symbol of struggle...

Kurdish political prisoner Wrisha Moradi ended her hunger strike on 16 May after being returned to the women's ward of Evin Prison following a three-day detention in Ward 209, a section controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence. Moradi began her hunger strike on 15 May in protest at her transfer. Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish women's rights activist and fellow inmate, also concluded her hunger strike...

Wrisha Moradi, a member of the East Kurdistan Free Women Society (KJAR), and Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish activist and former political prisoner, have gone on hunger strike in Evin Prison after Moradi was transferred to Ward 209 of the Ministry of Intelligence within the prison on the orders of Judge Salavati. Moradi, who has been imprisoned since 1 August 2023, was transferred from the Women's...