Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, has in recent days sentenced Kurdish labour activists Eghbal Shabani, Eghbal Pishkari and Abdollah Kheyrabadi to a total of 51 months in prison.
According to the issued verdict, Shabani was sentenced to 30 months in prison, Pishkari to one year and Kheyrabadi to nine months on charges of “acting against national security” through “membership” of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
Kheyrabadi and Pishkari’s sentences were suspended for two years, while Shabani’s sentence was suspended for two and a half years, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned.
The court session was presided over by Judge Saeidi and the activists were notified of the decision on 19 July.
On 17 May, the Ministry of Intelligence arrested Kheyrabadi and Pishkari along with six other labour activists, Hajar Saeidi, Shadman Abdi, Kamal Karimi, Khabat Mahmoudi, Habibollah Karimi and Sirwan Mahmoudi, without a warrant in Sanandaj after they had visited the family of Houman Abdollahi, one of the victims of last year’s anti-government protests.
Two days later, on 19 May, security forces arrested Shabani and transferred him to a detention centre in the city run by the Ministry of Intelligence.
Shabani, Kheyrabadi and Pishkari were temporarily released on bail from Sanandaj Central Prison on 31 May, 6 June and 14 June, respectively.
Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj has also recently sentenced Kurdish labour activists Shadman Abdi, Kamal Karimi and Khabat Mahmoudi to a total of five years and three months in prison.
