Kurdish civilian from Maku

Detention date: June 2014

Charged with: Membership in the PJAK

Sentence: 15 years in prison

Current status: Imprisoned in Orumiyeh Central Prison

Mostafa Sabzi, a Kurdish civilian from Maku in West Azerbaijan province, was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a village near Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan province, in June 2014.

He was interrogated for two months in a security detention centre in Orumiyeh.

At the end of the interrogation period, Sabzi was transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison.

After a few months, Branch 2 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh sentenced Sabzi to 15 years in prison on charges of “membership in the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK)”.

This verdict was also upheld in the city’s Court of Appeals.

Sabzi has served most of his sentence in Orumiyeh Central Prison in the ward for violent criminals.

On 12 January 2016, the Kurdish political prisoner went on a hunger strike to protest against the non-compliance of prison authorities with the principle of segregation of crimes and the prevention of his transfer to the ward for political prisoners.

Prison officials ignored his demands and sent him to solitary confinement.

Sabzi was attacked by a knife by prisoners in Ward 13 – the ward for violent crimes – in April 2016.

Despite life threats against him, prison officials continued to prevent him from being transferred to the ward for political prisoners.

On 23 July 2019, Sabzi went on a hunger strike after the Islamic Revolutionary Court’s Enforcement of Judgements Office rejected his transfer request to the prison of Maku, his family’s hometown.

On the 25th day of his strike, the political prisoner fainted due to low blood pressure. He was taken to the infirmary of the prison, but despite his deteriorating physical condition, he refused to take serum.

On 19 August, after Sabzi was returned to the ward from the infirmary, the head of the prison threatened him through a telephone call that he would be exiled to a prison in a remote location if he did not end his hunger strike.

He finally ended his 32-day hunger strike in late August with a promise from prison officials that his demands would be met.

However, on 17 September, he went on another three-day hunger strike as the Enforcement of Judgements Office continued to ignore his demand.