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Five Kurdish civilians were sentenced to a total of 11 death penalties, lengthy prison sentences, and financial penalties for their involvement in the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ protests in Bukan.
Five Kurdish civilians were sentenced to a total of 11 death penalties, lengthy prison sentences, and financial penalties for their involvement in the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ protests in Bukan.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported that Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Orumiyeh has sentenced five Kurdish men – Ali (Soran) Ghassemi, Pezhman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi, Rizgar Beygzadeh Baba-Miri, and Teyfour Salimi Baba-Miri – to a total of 11 death penalties, lengthy prison sentences, and financial penalties for their involvement in the anti-government ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) protests in Bukan.
Eight other defendants have also received prison terms and fines.
Previously, Branch One of the Juvenile Criminal Court in West Azerbaijan Province had sentenced Soltani to death on charges of “premeditated murder”, a crime punishable by qisas, which gives the victim’s family the right to retaliate under Islamic law.
The verdicts, issued by Judge Reza Najafzadeh with Esmaeil Bazrkari as advisor, were delivered to defence lawyers on Monday following three recent online court sessions.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network has learned that the court ignored allegations of torture, forced confessions, and security-led fabrications that took place during the men’s detention at the Ministry of Intelligence’s facility in Orumiyeh.
Ghassemi, Soltani and Salehi, who are Kurdish political prisoners, were each sentenced to two death penalties on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi), “enmity against God” (moharebeh).
Ghassemi was also sentenced to death for “leading and forming an armed criminal group” under titles including “Rebels’ Association, Shamaran, Komala, and PAK”.
Additionally, Beygzadeh Baba-Miri received three death sentences on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi), “leading and forming an armed criminal group” under titles including “Rebels’ Association, Shamaran, Komala, and PAK” and “espionage for Israeil”, while Salimi Baba-Miri – who had previously been released on bail – was given one death sentence for “leading and forming an armed criminal group” under titles including “Rebels’ Association, Shamaran, Komala, and PAK”.
They have also been sentenced to five to 15 years in prison and fined a total of 3.580 million rials (nearly 40,000 USD) on charges including “collaboration with the hostile government of Israel through intelligence missions for Mossad”, “involvement in the smuggling of 120 Starlink satellite devices”, “propaganda against the state”, and “assembly and collusion with the intention of acting against national security”.
Previously, Branch One of the Juvenile Criminal Court in West Azerbaijan Province had sentenced Soltani to death on charges of “premeditated murder”.
This article was originally published by ANF.
