Investigations carried out by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) show that many Kurdish civilians and activists from Iran have become victims of human rights violations in July 2021.
The following are the detailed information collected by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) statistics and documentation centre regarding these violations.
Executions
In July, Iran carried out the death penalties of eight prisoners on charges of drugs and premeditated murder. While seven of these prisoners were executed in Orumiyeh Central Prison, one execution took place in Esfahan Central Prison.
| Name | From | Charged with | Execution date | Execution location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shahryar Amiri | Oshnavieh | Drugs | 3 July | Orumiyeh Central Prison |
| 2 | Nasser Azmoudeh | Orumiyeh | Drugs | 3 July | Orumiyeh Central Prison |
| 3 | Bahaoddin Ghassemzadeh | Salmas | Premeditated murder | 4 July | Orumiyeh Central Prison |
| 4 | Davoud Ghassemzadeh | Salmas | Premeditated murder | 4 July | Orumiyeh Central Prison |
| 5 | Anvar Abdollahi | Mahabad | Premeditated murder | 4 July | Orumiyeh Central Prison |
| 6 | Oruj Ali Asl-Hosseini | Orumiyeh | Premeditated murder | 18 July | Orumiyeh Central Prison |
| 7 | Babak Aslani | Orumiyeh | Premeditated murder | 18 July | Orumiyeh Central Prison |
| 8 | Javad Karimian | Kermanshah | Drugs | 18 July | Esfahan Central Prison |
Assassinations of Political Activists
On 14 July, a group of undetermined offenders killed Iranian Kurdish political activist and asylum seeker Behrouz (Rebin) Rahimi in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Zoleykha Nasseri, the activist’s wife, has blamed the security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the murder.
Meanwhile, the security institutions of the Kurdistan Region have, so far, remained silent about his death.
Femicide
On 25 June, a man killed his wife and sister-in-law in Haji Abad neighbourhood of Sanandaj, Kurdistan province.
On 26 July, two other women were killed in Sardasht, West Azerbaijan province; one by her husband and the other by her friend’s husband.
| Name | Location | Date | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayan Moradi | Sanandaj | 25 July | Killed by husband, mother of three |
| 2 | Sahar Moradi | Sanandaj | 25 July | Killed by sister's husband, pregnant |
| 3 | Homa Hajipour | Sardasht | 26 July | Killed by husband, mother of two |
| 4 | Saada Espandar | Sardasht | 26 July | Killed by friend's husband, died after two days in hospital |
Detentions and Arrests
More than 100 civilians, activists, university students, lawyers, and former Kurdish political party members were detained in various cities across Iranian Kurdistan throughout the past month. However, the KHRN has, so far, received information about 43 of these people.
Most of these people were detained as they took to the streets to express their support for the recent protests against water shortages in the southwestern Khuzestan province.
The information available to the KHRN shows that five detainees were sent to prisons to serve sentences varying from three to 10 months. Seven people were taken to the detention centres of the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Two young women, including the 16-year-old Zhina Hassani Moghaddam, were taken to the Juvenile Detention Centre of Sanandaj.
Meanwhile, there is yet no information on the detention locations and the situations of 29 detainees.
| Name | Detention location | Detention date | Activity | Detention location and latest status | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammad Taher Elyasi | Piranshahr | 1 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 2 | Arman Zinati | Bukan | 1 July | Former Komalah member | Unknown | |||||||||
| 3 | Armia Ranjbari | Saqqez | 3 July | Civil rights activist | To serve 4 months and 10 days in prison, Sanandaj Prison | |||||||||
| 4 | Hiwa Amini | Saqqez | 3 July | Civil rights activist | To serve 4 months and 10 days in prison, Sanandaj Prison | |||||||||
| 5 | Wrya Amini | Saqqez | 3 July | Civil rights activist | To serve 4 months and 10 days in prison, Sanandaj Prison | |||||||||
| 6 | Zhina Hassani Moghaddam | Saqqez | Early July | Former Komalah member | Juvenile Detention Centre, 16 years old | |||||||||
| 7 | Behzad Mohammadi | Shian village of Sanandaj | 5 July | Civilian | Detention centre of Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj | |||||||||
| 8 | Omid Valizadeh | Shahin Dezh | 4 July | University student | Detention centre of Ministry of Intelligence in Orumiyeh | |||||||||
| 9 | Nahid Kamangar | Kamyaran | 6 July | University student | Juvenile Detention Centre | |||||||||
| 10 | Amin Iranizadeh | Qassemlou village of Orumiyeh | 6 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 11 | Ahmad Sadeghi | Shaghla village of Divandarreh | 6 July | Civilian | Detention centre of Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj | |||||||||
| 12 | Farshid Majidinezhad | Baneh | 8 July | Former Komalah member | Unknown | |||||||||
| 13 | Hossein Hassan-Khani | Mahabad | 10 July | Teachers union activist and member of Quran school | To serve 3 months in prison, Mahabad Prison | |||||||||
| 14 | Kamran Dastan | Marivan | 10 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 15 | Shirzad Shawqi Qassemlou | Mam Ebrahim village of Orumiyeh | 11 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 16 | Farhad Mohammadi | Sanandaj | 14 July | Lawyer | To serve 10 months in prison, Sanandaj Central Prison | |||||||||
| 17 | Yasser Mangouri | Piranshahr | 15 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 18 | Hiwa Amini | Marivan | 19 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 19 | Ebrahim Tari-Moradi | Amrowleh village of Sanandaj | 24 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 20 | Kamal Abbasivand | Bukan | 25 July | Kurdish activist | Transfer to detention centre of Intelligence Organisation of IRGC in Orumiyeh | |||||||||
| 21 | Anwar Maleki | Bukan | 25 July | Kurdish activist | Transfer to detention centre of Intelligence Organisation of IRGC in Orumiyeh | |||||||||
| 22 | Ramin Veysi | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 23 | Meysam Veysi | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 24 | Saman Najafi | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 25 | Milad Azhilideh | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 26 | Shahram Shafizadeh | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 27 | Shahryar Shafizadeh | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 28 | Hamed Karami | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 29 | Erfan Naderi | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 30 | Nemat Naderi | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 31 | Pouya Naderi | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 32 | Pezhman Kamari | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 33 | Arash Najafi | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 34 | Manouchehr Najafi | Kermanshah | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 35 | Azimeh Nasseri | Bukan | 27 July | Civil rights activist | Transfer to detention centre of Intelligence Organisation of IRGC in Orumiyeh | |||||||||
| 36 | Salam Kurda | Oshnavieh | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 37 | Foad Habibi | Divandarreh | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 38 | Shamzin Mohammadi | Bukan | 27 July | Kurdish activist | Transfer to detention centre of Intelligence Organisation of IRGC in Orumiyeh | |||||||||
| 39 | Khalil Ramazani | Selas-e Babajani | Late July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 40 | Arkan Bahrami | Selas-e Babajani | Late July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 41 | Khaled Mirzaei | Selas-e Babajani | Late July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 42 | As'ad Alaei | Divandarreh | 27 July | Civilian | Unknown | |||||||||
| 43 | Chia Aghabeigpour | Bukan | 29 July | Civilian | Unknown |
Kolbars
In July, at least two kolbars were killed by the Iranian border guards in the border areas of Iranian Kurdistan. Also, one kolbars was killed by the IRGC forces in Cherik Abad village in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan province.
Additionally, Iranian border forces shot and injured eight kolbars and injured five others in torture. Three other kolbars were tortured by Iranian police.
| Name | From | Location of incident | Date of incident | Dead/injured | Description | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mansour Bahrami | Nowsud | Nowsud border areas | 3 July | Injured | Shot by border forces | ||||||||
| 2 | Mohammad Bahrami | Saqqez | Baneh border areas | 6 July | Injured | Shot by border forces | ||||||||
| 3 | Ashraf Ghadernia | Do Palureh village of Marivan | Do Palureh village of Marivan | 7 July | Injured | Shot by border forces | ||||||||
| 4 | Abdolaziz Hajipour | Cherik Abad village of Orumiyeh | Cherik Abad village | 9 July | Dead | Shot by IRGC forces | ||||||||
| 5 | Mikaeil | Baneh | Baneh border areas | 10 July | Injured | Shot by border forces | ||||||||
| 6 | Mokhtar Sharifi | Baneh | Baneh border areas | 10 July | Injured | Shot by border forces | ||||||||
| 7 | Hamed Aminpour | Baneh | Baneh border areas | 10 July | Dead | Shot by border forces, 46 years old, father of six | ||||||||
| 8 | Zaher Tazahom | Piranshahr | Piranshahr border areas | 13 July | Injured | Shot by border forces | ||||||||
| 9 | Seyyed Ravan Tisou | Piranshahr | Baneh border areas | 13 July | Injured | Shot by border forces | ||||||||
| 10 | Anvar Moradi | Selas-e Babajani | Nowsud border areas | 15 July | Injured | Tortured by police | ||||||||
| 11 | Khalil Mahmoudi | Selas-e Babajani | Nowsud border areas | 15 July | Injured | Tortured by police | ||||||||
| 12 | Khalil Soleimani | Selas-e Babajani | Nowsud border areas | 15 July | Injured | Tortured by police | ||||||||
| 13 | Jamal Hassanpour | Chaldoran | Chaldoran border areas | 19 July | Injured | Tortured by border forces | ||||||||
| 14 | Baran Hassanpour | Chaldoran | Chaldoran border areas | 19 July | Injured | Tortured by border forces | ||||||||
| 15 | Hossein Firouzi | Chaldoran | Chaldoran border areas | 19 July | Injured | Tortured by border forces | ||||||||
| 16 | Vali Moghimi | Chaldoran | Chaldoran border areas | 19 July | Injured | Tortured by border forces | ||||||||
| 17 | Hamid Abdollahzadeh | Chaldoran | Chaldoran border areas | 19 July | Injured | Tortured by border forces | ||||||||
| 18 | Fereydoun Salehi | Bukan | Baneh border areas | 26 July | Dead | Shot by border forces | ||||||||
| 19 | Rasoul Molani | Baneh | Baneh border areas | 28 July | Injured | Shot by border forces |
Explosions
On 4 and 8 July, four civilians lost their lives as unexploded mortars from the Iran-Iraq war went off.
| Name | Explosion location | Explosion date | Status | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unknown | Kermanshah | 4 July | Dead | Explosion of mortar |
| 2 | Unknown | Kermanshah | 4 July | Dead | Explosion of mortar |
| 3 | Maghsoud Najafi | Bastam village of Saqqez | 8 July | Dead | Explosion of mortar |
| 4 | Rashid Ahmadzadeh | Bastam village of Saqqez | 8 July | Dead | Explosion of mortar |
Work Accidents
At least seven workers lost their lives in work accidents throughout July Iran and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Five of these workers fell from buildings, one fell from a scaffold, and one lost his life suffering a heart attack at work.
| Name | Location of Incident | Date of incident | Dead/injured | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arman Rahimi | Sanandaj | 1 July | Dead | Fall from building |
| 2 | Ali Mohammadi | Eyvan-e Gharb | 17 July | Dead | Fall from building |
| 3 | Mostafa Khani | Eyvan-e Gharb | 17 July | Dead | Fall from building |
| 4 | Mohammad Azimi | Takab | 25 July | Dead | Fall from building during welding |
| 5 | Ata Saeid-Afshar | Kurdistan Region of Iraq | 25 July | Dead | Heart attack at work, from Marivan |
| 6 | Nowzad Adak | Kurdistan Region of Iraq | 28 July | Dead | Fall from scaffold |
| 7 | Soheib Ghamari | Tehran | 29 July | Dead | Fall from building, from Marivan |
Prison Sentences
The past month also saw an Iranian court sentenced one person to the death penalty on charges of “Enmity against God through destruction of people’s property to oppose the state”.
Moreover, courts sentenced five others to prison sentences varying from seven months and 16 days to 10 years and one day.
| Name | Residence | Charged with | Date sentenced | Issuing court | Sentence | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barzan Mohammadi | Marivan | Insulting the supreme leader and propaganda against the state | Early July | Islamic Revolutionary Court of Marivan | 22 months and 17 days in prison | Environmental activist |
| 2 | Hossein Kheyri | Tehran | Enmity against God through destruction of people's property in order to oppose the state | Early July | Branch 26 of Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran | Death penalty | Currently in Naqadeh Prison |
| 3 | Sinur Tamara | Unknown | Membership in the PKK | 3 July | Branch 1 of Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh | 10 years and 1 day in prison | Currently in Naqadeh Prison |
| 4 | Saman Karimi | Baneh | Assembly and collusion, membership of the KDPI, propaganda against the state | 7 July | Branch 4 of Court of Appeals of Sanandaj | 9 years in prison | |
| 5 | Salah Bahramian | Oshnavieh | Memberhsip in the KDPI | 24 July | Branch 1 of Islamic Revolutionary Court of Oshnavieh | 2 years in prison | |
| 6 | Arastou Molla-Rahimi | Mahabad | Propaganda against the state | Late July | Branch 13 of Court of Appeals of Orumiyeh | 7 month and 16 days in prison |
Asylum Seekers
On 22 July, a boat carrying asylum seekers sank in Greece due to which a woman from Kermanshah named Monireh Heydari has gone missing.
IRGC – PJAK Clashes
On 24 July, the IRGC forces clashed with three Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) members near the Elmabad village of Bukan, West Azerbaijan province.
The IRGC said that their forces killed two PJAK members during the clash and detained another injured.
The IRGC also claimed that three PJAK “supporters” who were present in the area were detained by its intelligence service. The identities of these three people have not been determined yet.
