The Kurdistan Human Rights Network’s (KHRN) recent investigations have revealed numerous cases of human rights violations against Kurdish civilians and activists from Iran in June 2023.

Our Documentation and Statistics Centre has compiled a comprehensive report on the various violations perpetrated against these individuals, which we present in this monthly report.

Executions

According to these findings, Iran executed at least seven prisoners over the past month in Orumiyeh, Sanandaj, Ilam, Karaj and Shiraz.

While two prisoners were executed on charges of “premeditated murder”, five were executed for alleged drug-related offences.

These are the executions of which the KHRN has been informed by its sources. However, the number of those executed is likely to be higher.

Femicide

At least two women were murdered by men in their families on 3 June.

One of these women, 18-year old Rozhin Azimi, was killed by her brother with a hammer in Divandarreh, Kurdistan province.

Also, a 38-year-old woman, whose identity remains unknown, was killed by her father with bricks in Ilam, Ilam province.

Kolbars

In June, at least nine kolbars were injured and two were killed by Iranian border guards in western Iran.

Of the injured, eight were shot by border guards and one fell from a mountain height after being chased by the forces.

Work accidents

Two workers, including a 10-year-old child, were killed in work-related accidents in Divandarreh and Orumiyeh in June.

Detentions and arrests

Throughout June, Iranian forces arrested at least 37 civilians. These included five activists and a 16-year-old child.

Three of these civilians were detained to serve prison sentences in Bukan and Naqadeh.

Prison sentences

Last month, Iranian courts sentenced at least 10 people to prison terms ranging from six months to 15 years.

They include two Sunni Kurdish clerics who, in addition to prison sentences, have been stripped of their clerical status for life.

Prison fight left one dead in Orumiyeh

In June, Erfan Babrizadeh, a 26-year-old prisoner serving a four-year sentence in Orumiyeh Central Prison, was stabbed to death during a fight between inmates.

IRGC military operation, bombing of Mount Kusalan

Since 12 June, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been conducting a military operation in the mountainous area of Kusalan in Sarvabad and Marivan in the province of Kurdistan, which has resulted in a widespread outbreak of forest fires due to heavy artillery fire.

The IRGC has also destroyed a significant part of the protected environmental area by building a new base on the heights of Mount Kusalan, and has banned the movement of local villagers who are engaged in beekeeping and animal husbandry in the region.

At the same time, the IRGC deployed large numbers of troops to the border areas of Oshnavieh, Piranshahr and Baneh, and twice heavily shelled the Bouralan border area of Maku.

Executions

NameFromCharged withExecution dateExecution locationExplanation
1Jafar MohammadpourSardashtDrugs9 JuneOrumiyeh Central Prison41 years old, father of two
2Ghobad FarhadpourKermanshahDrugs9 JuneOrumiyeh Central Prison
3Saeid NasiriKarajDrugs10 JuneKaraj Central Penitentiary
4Massoud SassaniKarajDrugs10 JuneKaraj Central Penitentiary
5Ali Barar KazemiSarpol-e ZahabDrugs20 JuneShiraz Central PrisonExecuted after 3 years in prison
6Aref HavasiIlamPremeditated murder20 JuneIlam Central Prison27 years old
7Hemin MostafaeiMarivanPremeditated murder21 JuneSanandaj Central Prison

Femicide

NameLocationDateExplanation
1Rozhin AzimiDivandarreh3 June18 years old, killed by brother with a hammer
2UnknownIlam3 June38 years old, killed by father with bricks

Kolbars

NameFromIncident locationIncident dateDied/InjuredExplanation
1Houshyar HassanzadehBanehZaleh border area in Baneh5 JuneKilledShot by border forces
2Shwan (last name unknown)Satyari village in PavehNowsud border areas5 JuneInjuredShot by border forces
3Ali HosseiniBalbazan village in PavehNowsud border areas5 JuneInjuredShot by border forces
4Soran DaneshiBalbazan village in PavehNowsud border areas5 JuneInjuredShot by border forces
5Kavan HosseiniDasheh village in PavehNowsud border areas5 JuneInjuredShot by border forces
6Ansar (last name unknown)Mansour Aghaei Shaho villageNowsud border areas7 JuneInjuredShot by border forces
7Rahim FeyziBukanHangeh-ye Zhal border area11 JuneInjuredShot by border forces
8Mokhtar KuvikMarivanNowsud border areas11 JuneInjuredFell from border heights following chase and run by border guards
9Edris AminiMarivanHangeh-ye Zhal border area19 JuneInjuredShot by border forces
10UnknownMarivanHangeh-ye Zhal border area19 JuneInjuredShot by border forces
11Wrya SharifiBanehHangeh-ye Zhal border area24 JuneKilledShot by border forces

Work accidents

NameIncident locationIncident dateDied/InjuredExplanation
1Soroush AbdollahzadehDivandarreh5 JuneDiedA 10-year-old child, died due to a gas explosion
2Fakhraddin MikaeliOrumiyeh15 JuneDiedFell from building while working, father of 3 children

Detentions and arrests

NameDetention locationDetention dateActivityLocation held and latest status
1Arash YounsiDehloran4 JuneCivilianUnknown
2Masoud DarsanjBukan5 JuneCivilianTaken to Bukan prison to serve a 33-month sentence
3Far'an HassanzadehOshnavieh6 JuneCivilianTaken to Naqadeh prison to serve one year and four months
4Arash SharifiMarivan7 JuneCivilianUnknown
5Hassan AminiBukan9 JuneCivilianReleased
6Sedigh BahmaniBukan9 JuneCivilianReleased
7Hashem SaediBukan9 JuneCivilianReleased
8Ahmad RahimiBukan9 JuneCivilianReleased
9Arman HabibiBukan9 JuneCivilianReleased
10Abdorrahman NasriBukan9 JuneCivilianReleased
11Ayoub JavanpourSaqqez10 JuneCivil rights activistUnknown
12Dana GhorbaniKamyaran11 JuneCivilianUnknown
13Khezr MohammadpourPiranshahr11 JuneCivilianUnknown
14Abdolrahman GheytaranPiranshahr11 JuneCivilianUnknown
15Sadraddin GheytaranPiranshahr11 JuneCivilianUnknown
16Mohammad Mahmoud FeqhPiranshahr11 JuneCivilianUnknown
17Habib KhoshnoudPiranshahr11 JuneCivilianUnknown
18Jamal RasoulzadehPiranshahr11 JuneCivilianUnknown
19Mohammad TahmasebiSarableh11 JuneCivilianUnknown
20Navid MohammadnezhadSarableh11 JuneCivilianUnknown
21Mehrdad Gheysar-BeygiSarableh11 JuneCivilianUnknown
22Ayoub GaravandSarableh11 JuneCivilianUnknown
23Younes GaravandSarableh11 JuneCivilianUnknown
24Hamed RahmaniSarableh11 JuneCivilianUnknown
25Pedram MoeiniBaneh11 JunePolitical and social activistTaken to Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in Sanandaj
26Aref AdvaiHawraman13 JuneCivilianUnknown
27Abdollah AhmadpourMahabad18 JuneCivilianUnknown
28Mohsen DadgarSarvabad20 JuneEnvironmental activistUnknown
29Saeid DadgarSarvabad20 JuneEnvironmental activistUnknown
30Yasser SaberiSarvabad20 JuneEnvironmental activistUnknown
31Vahid ChavaranSarabbagh23 JuneCivilianUnknown
32Vali Gol-MohammadiBukan24 JuneCivilianTaken to Bukan prison to serve a one-year sentence
33Sina HeydariSaqqez25 June16-year-old childUnknown
34Milad FazelpourSaqqez26 JuneCivilianUnknown
35Hemin HosseiniSaqqez26 JuneCivilianUnknown
36Sorayya GheytaranPiranshahr26 JuneCivilianUnknown
37Shahla ChoupaniSaqqez27 JuneCivilianUnknown

Prison sentences

NameResident ofCharged withDate sentencedIssuing courtSentenceExplanation
1Fereydoun NabiMahabadAssembly and collusion against national security, membership in a Kurdish opposition party, propaganda against the state carrying smuggled weapons and throwing a homemade molotov cocktailEarly JuneBranch Two of Islamic Revolutionary Court in Mahabad, Branch 102 of Piranshahr Criminal CourtA total of 92 months of imprisonment and payment of 25 million Rials
2Ebrahim Karimi NanalehSanandajPropaganda against the state, incitement to riot, carrying a handgun7 JuneSpecial Clerical Court of Hamadan12 years of imprisonment, 2 years of exile to Bushehr, permanent revocation of clerical status and permanent ban on giving sermonsFriday imam of Nanaleh village mosque
3Loghman AminiSanandajPropaganda against the state, incitement to riot, carrying a handgun7 JuneSpecial Clerical Court of Hamadan11 years of imprisonment, 2 years of exile to Ardabil permanent revocation of clerical status and permanent ban on giving sermonsFriday imam of Chahar Yar-e Nabi mosque in Sanandaj
4Sasan ChamanaraTehranAssembly and collusion against national security12 JuneBranch 29 of Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran5 years imprisonment
5Zana KhoshamanPiranshahrActing against national security15 JuneBranch One of Islamic Revolutionary Court in Mahabad2 years and one month imprisonmentSunni cleric
6Bapir BarzehPiranshahrActing against national security through membership in a Kurdish opposition party15 JuneBranch One of Islamic Revolutionary Court in MahabadThree years of imprisonmentFormer political prisoner
7Mohammad EsmaeiliPiranshahrActing against national security through membership in a Kurdish opposition party15 JuneBranch One of Islamic Revolutionary Court in MahabadTwo years and eight months of imprisonment
8Esmaeil MahmoudpourPiranshahrActing against national security through membership in a Kurdish opposition party15 JuneBranch One of Islamic Revolutionary Court in MahabadFour years and six months of imprisonment
9Danesh MowloudiBijarPropaganda against the state 15 JuneBranch 102 of Bijar Criminal CourtSix months imprisonment27 years old
10Parham ParvariSaqqezEnmity against God (moharebeh)Mid JuneBranch 28 of Islamic Revolutionary Court of TehranTotal of 15 years in prison25-year-old athlete