Kurdistan Human Rights Network

A group of 44 prisoners of conscience held in the Ershad high security section of Orumiyeh Central Prison began a hunger strike today in protest at the denial of medical care, the rejection by the security services of their requests for conditional release and the installation of surveillance cameras in their rooms and toilets. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that these prisoners...

Kurdish prisoner of conscience Iraj Sofi-Mohammad has been on hunger strike since yesterday in protest against his transfer from Mahabad open prison to the prison's internal ward. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that Sofi-Mohammad's transfer was ordered by the Mahabad Public Prosecutor. Security forces arrested Sofi-Mohammad in Mahabad in early autumn of 2019. After initial interrogation, he was transferred from the Ministry of Intelligence...

Prisoners of conscience transferred to a new high-security ward at Orumiyeh Central Prison, have been isolated in harsh prison conditions over the past year. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that these prisoners have been denied access to medical care for the past two months as the prison authorities have refused to transfer them to hospitals outside the prison. Hatam Ozdemir, Sardar Ozmesh, Aram...

Kurdish prisoner of conscience Fereydoun Zakeri-Nasab has ended his hunger strike on day 18, on 17 July, after the authorities in Rajai Shahr Prison of Karaj, northern Iran, promised to follow up on his demands. The prisoner has been on a hunger strike since 30 June, protesting against the delay in the review of his case. The prisoner of conscience has reportedly lost more than six...

A Kurdish prisoner of conscience named Arkan Palani Jaff was sent on temporary leave on the 21st day of his hunger strike on 30 June. Jaff had been on strike since 10 June to protest against prison authorities’ refusal to release him on parole, send him on temporary leave, and provide medical treatment. Reportedly, the prisoner experienced a 10kg weight loss during this period and his...

Some 22 prisoners of conscience in Rajai Shahr Prison of Karaj, northern Iran, have gone on a hunger strike after the Public Prosecutor of Tehran disrespected Sunnis during a visit to the prison on 30 June. The Prosecutor and a group of 115 judicial officials visited the Rajai Shahr prison. During a meeting with some prisoners of conscience in the Hosseiniyeh hall of the prison [the...

Prison officers in Rajai Shahr Prison, in Iran's northern Karaj province, have severely beaten a hunger-striking prisoner of conscience named Arkan Palani Jaff on 20 June. Jaff has sewn his lips and has been on a dry hunger strike since 10 June, protesting against prison authorities' refusal to release him on parole, send him on temporary leave, and provide medical treatment. Prison officials also used force...

Prisoners of conscience Farshad Fattahi, Sardar Ozmash, Kamran Ghassemi, and Keyvan Rashozadeh who were beaten by special prison forces in Orumiyeh prison on 10 January, are held in handcuffs and fetters in solitary confinement. Also, prisoners of conscience Sirvan Hosseini-Asl, Saman Hosseini-Asl, Davoud Jabbari, and Nayeb Askari who were transferred to the detention centre of the Ministry of Intelligence on the same day, are still...

Prison officials in Iran's northwestern Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan province, took yesterday some political prisoners from solitary confinement to the newly-constructed security ward for prisoners of conscience. These included prisoners Farzad Samani and Hamed Ghare-Oghlani. On 10 January, the prison's special guard forces severely beat prisoners of conscience and took 20 of them to solitary confinement after the prisoners refused to be transferred to the new ward. Meanwhile,...