Kurdistan Human Rights Network

This 2023 report details human rights violations of the Kurds in Iran. As in previous years, the violations span across the spectrum of linguistic, religious, cultural, gender, sexual orientation, class, and political discrimination under the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The repressive and violent actions were employed by the security, military, judicial and executive institutions of the government.

The statistics outline the number of killed and injured Kurdish Kolbar border porter workers and the implementation of death sentences, as well as the situation of Kurdish prisoners at risk of execution and accused of political, ideological and religious affiliations.

This report also details the cases of femicide, extrajudicial killings, deaths caused by mine explosions and workers who died on duty at work without any rights.

It also sheds light on those who died as they tried to emigrate to seek asylum abroad, others who were summoned by the security forces, including civilians and activists interrogated for alleged political affiliations.

It also clarifies the various verdicts issued over political charges for civilians and activists, restriction of freedom of religion and pressure exerted against those known as “Justice-Seeking Families”, who seek justice for their loved ones killed during the anti-government protests of the “Women, Life and Freedom” uprising.

It is important to note that the statistics presented here include all the cases that the KHRN had reported and verified throughout 2023. This is why we believe that the actual figure of the violations is much higher given how rights violations easily go unreported for several reasons in Iran, a key one being the threats, intimidations and other forms of pressure that the security, intelligence and military agencies apply against the victims and their families to not share their cases with human rights organisations and media outlets. The Iranian domestic media do not report these violations. Another issue in Iran’s Kurdish region is that some families, especially those living in remote areas, try to hide cases of gender-based violence and femicide. The recorded cases in this annual report include those that the KHRN had first reported directly though its own network of primary sources. It also includes reports that the KHRN and other organisations too had reported but the KHRN itself had verified those cases using various verification methodology, such as the use of multiple sources in addition to those sources closely related to the victims and their families or those who had witnessed the incidents first hand.

Detentions and Arrests

In 2023, at least 745 Kurdish civilians and activists were detained by the security forces or judicial institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in various cities of Ilam, West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Tehran, East Azerbaijan, Khuzestan, Razavi Khorasan, and Mazandaran provinces on political grounds. The highest number of arrests took place in Kurdistan, followed by West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, and Ilam provinces.

While some of these individuals were temporarily released on bail after a period of detention, others remain in custody, and some have been transferred to prison to serve their sentences.

Issuance of Verdicts

In 2023, at least 173 Kurdish civilians and activists received verdicts from Revolutionary, Criminal, and Special Clerical courts in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Tehran, Hamadan, East Azerbaijan, and Khuzestan. These verdicts included imprisonment, suspension of prison sentences, flogging, death penalty, exile, monetary fines, revocations of clerical status, bans on leaving the country, dismissals, and more. The judgments were either issued or confirmed in appellate courts.

Families of Killed Protesters

In 2023, much like in previous years, many families, whose loved ones were killed during the anti-government uprising of Jin Jiyan Azadi (Women Life Freedom) or in years prior by the Islamic Republic of Iran, faced pressure from security institutions. Numerous Kurdish families were summoned, detained, and sentenced by security forces or judicial bodies for pursuing justice for their slain family members or organising commemorative events in their memory.

Among the bereaved families were those of Jina Amini, Armita Geravand, Komar Deroftadeh, Shaho Bahmani, Momen Zand-Karimi, Peyman Menbari, Darioush Alizadeh, Yahya Moradi, Shadman Ahmadi, Aram Habibi, Sarina Saedi, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Kamal Ahmadpour, Matin Nasri, Azad Hosseinpouri, Erfan Khazaei, Mohammad Hassanzadeh, Mehdi Babrnezhad, Ehsan Ghassemifard, Shahriar Mohammadi, Farjad Darvishi, Mohsen Gheysari, Jawhar Fattahi, Habibollah Fathi, Mohsen Niyazi, Foad Ghadimi, Zanyar Aboubakri, and Mohammad Amini, among others.