Kurdistan Human Rights Network

The Special Clerical Court in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan Province, has sentenced Sunni Kurdish clerics Seyyed Soleyman Ahmadi, Younes Nowkhah, Seyyed Jamaladdin Vazhi and Sharif Mahmoudpour to a total of 11 years in prison. Ahmadi and Nowkhah, teachers at the Salahuddin Ayubi School of Religious Studies in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, were sentenced to four and three years in prison respectively, while Vazhi, a religious teacher,...

Kurdish Sunni cleric Younes Nowkhah was released today on a bail of 500 million Tomans – nearly 12,000 USD – from Orumiyeh Central Prison, in north-west Iran. Iranian security forces detained Nowkhah, who is a teacher at the Salahuddin Ayubi School of Religious Studies in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, on 24 January. The cleric was transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison in the past few days after...

Detained Kurdish Sunni clerics Sharif Mahmudpour and Seyyed Soleiman Ahmadi were released on bail from Orumieh Central Prison on 12 February. Another Kurdish cleric Younes Nowkhah's detention has been extended for 15 days, Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Mahmudpour, the imam of the Rasoul Allah Mosque in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, and Ahmadi, who teaches at the Salahuddin Ayubi School of Religious Studies in...

Security forces have arrested at least four Kurdish clerics since yesterday in Piranshahr and its suburbs, in north-western Iran, over a statement they issued, calling for the "unconditional" release of the civilians detained during the recent anti-government protests. The detained clerics are Molla Sharif Mahmudpour, Molla Seyyed Jamaladdin Vazhi, Molla Younes Nowkhah and Molla Seyyed Soleiman Ahmadi. They were taken to an undisclosed location after being...

Iran's Special Clerical Court in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, has sentenced Kurdish cleric Younes Nowkhah to a total of four years and six months in prison over a series of charges. The clerical court has also stripped Nowkhah of his clerical status, permanently, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. According to the verdict issued by the court, which was communicated to the cleric on...

A Kurdish cleric named Younes Nowkhah, who was detained for criticising the government, has been released on bail from Orumiyeh Central Prison on 25 July. On 7 July, Iranian security forces detained Nowkhah, a teacher at the Salahuddin Ayoubi School of Religious Studies in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province. The cleric was then taken to the detention centre of the Ministry of Intelligence in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan...

A group of Kurdish clerics gathered in front of the office of the Grand Islamic Centre of Piranshahr, in West Azarbaijan province, on 12 July and demanded the immediate release of the detained Kurdish cleric Younes Nowkhah. During the rally, representatives of the protesting clerics met with the officials of the Grand Islamic Centre and were promised that Nowkhah's case would be followed up. On 7...

Iranian security forces have detained a Kurdish cleric named Younes Nowkhah in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, on 7 July. Nowkhah, who is a teacher at the Salahuddin Ayubi School of Religious Studies in Piranshahr, has been taken to an undisclosed location. The cleric was reportedly arrested for criticising the Iranian government. He is also one of the prominent trainers of paragliding in Iran.