Rauf Sheikh-Maroufi, Kamran Soltani and Mohammad Faraji, three Kurdish civilians arrested by security forces during the Women, Life, Freedom anti-government uprising in Bukan, West Azerbaijan Province, have been charged with “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel arz) and “enmity against God” (moharebeh), which carry the potential death penalty in Iran.
Their cases have been referred to the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province.
Sheikh-Maroufi is charged with “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel arz), while Soltani and Faraji are jointly charged with “enmity against God” (moharebeh).
A separate case against Sheikh-Maroufi is pending in the first branch of the Bukan Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Gol-Hosseini, although the specific charges remain unknown.
Sheikh-Maroufi was arrested on 26 December 2022 by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in Bukan.
He was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture for two days in a security detention centre in Bukan before being transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province.
After 170 days of detention, Sheikh-Maroufi was transferred to Bukan Prison on 10 June 2023.
Faraji and Soltani were arrested by security agents in Bukan on 22 and 27 February 2023 respectively and taken to the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre, where they were subjected to three and a half months of physical and psychological torture to extract forced confessions before being transferred to Bukan Prison on 10 June 2023.
According to KHRN statistics, at least 11 Kurdish civilians and activists arrested in the past two years are currently being held in various Iranian prisons on charges of “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel arz) and “enmity against God” (moharebeh), which in Iran carry the potential death penalty.
