Kurdistan Human Rights Network

Kurdish political prisoner Keyvan Rashozadeh continues to be denied medical treatment for injuries sustained as a result of torture by prison authorities, as he enters the seventh day of his hunger strike in solitary confinement at Orumiyeh Central Prison. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that despite his injuries, Rashozadeh has been denied access to medical services on the orders of Peyman Khanzadeh,...

Kurdish political prisoner Abdolaziz Gol-Mohammadi attempted suicide in Orumiyeh Central Prison today in protest at the authorities' refusal to grant him temporary leave, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Gol-Mohammadi's suicide attempt is the second incident of self-harm by Kurdish political prisoners in Orumiyeh Central Prison, underlining the pressure and deprivation of legal rights faced by inmates. In similar circumstances, on 26 February, Shahin...

Kurdish political prisoners in Orumiyeh Central Prison, West Azerbaijan Province, have been subjected to severe ill-treatment and torture by prison guards, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Shaker Behrouz, who had previously been sentenced to death for “armed insurrection” (baghi) but whose sentence was overturned in 2023, began a hunger strike on 18 April in protest at a new case against him. The...

Prison guards and security officers raided the political and religious prisoners’ ward in Orumiyeh Central Prison today, destroying prisoners’ belongings and beating Kurdish political prisoners Keyvan Rashozadeh and Kamran Ghassemi. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that that around 10 guards and prison officials took part in the raid, which was ordered by the prison director, Peyman Khanzadeh, citing the presence of mobile...

Kurdish prisoners of conscience Arash Gholizadeh and Ardavan Tahourian, who have separately gone on hunger strike in Orumiyeh Central Prison, in West Azerbaijan Province, are demanding access to medical treatment and the right to temporary leave. Gholizadeh, a Kurdish religious prisoner from Orumiyeh, who is in the third year of a 10-year sentence, began his hunger strike on 15 March, in protest at being denied...

Hassan Omarpour, a Kurdish prisoner serving a 10-year sentence in Orumiyeh Central Prison, began a hunger strike on 14 April to demand a retrial and to protest insults against his family by the prosecutor of Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that Omarpour was transferred to solitary confinement on 15 April following the start of his hunger strike and...

The authorities in Orumiyeh Central Prison have recently increased pressure and torture on prisoners after more than 800 prisoners signed an open letter calling for the removal of Peyman Khanzadeh, the head of the prison. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learnt that on 3 March, Akbar Maheri, the head of Section 1-2, and several prison guards severely beat two prisoners, Towhid Ghaznavi and...

Prison guards raided the political and religious prisoners' ward in Orumiyeh Central Prison on 28 February, destroying prisoners' belongings and beating some of them. The raid comes after Kurdish political prisoner Shahin Gallehdar committed suicide and more than 800 prisoners signed an open letter calling for the removal of Peyman Khanzadeh, the head of the prison, due to the increasing number of suicides in the...

Today, at least five death row prisoners, previously convicted on drug and murder charges, were transferred to solitary confinement for execution at Orumiyeh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan Province. The identities of these prisoners remain unknown at this stage. Prison authorities have reportedly informed the families of these prisoners that the execution is scheduled for tomorrow morning. KHRN has documented the executions of at least nine prisoners...