Amir Seydi, a Kurdish civilian from Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, was injured by military-security forces’ gunfire during the anti-government Women, Life, Freedom uprising.

Arrest

Seydi was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran at his workplace in Mahabad on 20 August 2023 and taken to the Ministry’s detention facility in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province.

For 62 days, he was subjected to physical and psychological torture by security interrogators in order to extract forced confessions, and later transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison. 

During this period, he was denied the right to family visits and legal representation.

In March 2024, he was provisionally released from prison on bail of 15 billion rials (nearly 30,000 USD).

Judicial Process

In February 2024, he was tried on charges of “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security” and was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, which was reduced to two years and seven months following his submission to the verdict.

Current Status

On 4 May 2024, Seydi was sent to Orumiyeh Central Prison to serve his sentence.

Additional Information

In May 2024, the authorities at Orumiyeh Central Prison rejected Seydi’s request for leave to attend his father’s funeral.

In October 2024, he was sent on temporary leave for a few days.

Notes:

1. Women, Life, Freedom Uprising: Jina Amini (Mahsa Amini), a 21-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, was arrested on a street in Tehran on 13 September 2022 by the morality police because of the way she was dressed. Shortly after her arrest, she was transferred to Kasra Hospital in Tehran with head injuries and symptoms of brain death, and passed away three days later on 16 September 2022. The government’s killing of Jina sparked unprecedented anti-government protests, which began with a large turnout at her funeral at Aichi Cemetery in Saqqez and quickly spread to many cities across Iran. These widespread protests against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which lasted for several months, resulted in at least 527 protesters being killed and thousands injured and arrested. The protests are known for their central slogan of “Women, Life, Freedom” (Kurdish: Jin, Jiyan, Azadi).

2. Article 610 of the Islamic Penal Code: “If two or more individuals gather and conspire to commit crimes against the internal or external security of the country or to facilitate the means for committing such crimes, they shall be sentenced to two to five years’ imprisonment, unless they are considered mohareb (those who commit enmity against God).”

3. In cases where an individual accepts the verdict issued by the lower court and waives their right to appeal, they will be subject to the law of “submission to the verdict” and will receive a reduction in their sentence.