Kurdish Individuals and Language Lecturer Sentenced in Iran
In recent judicial developments, the Islamic Republic of Iran's judiciary has handed down sentences to Kurdish individuals and a language lecturer. Six residents of Oshnoviyeh, identified as AbdulKarim Kakoul, Suleiman Galvani, Khezer Abdollahi, Osman Hamzehzadeh, Aram Shaban, and Fakhreddin Poudat, have collectively received eight years and six months of imprisonment. They were convicted on charges of "membership and collaboration with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan" by the revolutionary court of Oshnoviyeh.
Abdul Karim Kakoul, Suleiman Galvani, and Khezer Abdollahi were each sentenced to one year of punitive imprisonment. Aram Shaban received a three-year and three-month sentence, while Fakhreddin Poudat and Osman Hamzehzadeh were each sentenced to one year and three months. The arrests occurred on July 9, 2023, with the individuals facing violence during detention. They were released on bail from Oshnoviyeh Prison pending the conclusion of legal proceedings.
In a separate case in Sanandaj-Kurdistan, Seywan Ebrahimi, a Kurdish language lecturer and board member of the cultural-social association "Nojin," has been sentenced to a total of 11 years of imprisonment. The Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, presided over by Chief Judge Karami, imposed a 10-year sentence for "forming groups with the intent to disrupt national security" and an additional one-year sentence for "propaganda against the government." In August 2023, Ebrahimi faced another case resulting in one year of punitive imprisonment, exile, and 40 lashes for "disrupting public order." On December 3rd, his imprisonment and flogging sentences were confirmed, while the exile sentence to Dieselabad Prison in Kermanshah was overturned.
Ebrahimi, arrested on January 18, 2023, and released on bail on February 14th, conveyed the reasons for his sentences on social media. These include his "responsibility in the Nojin association and its activities," "support for the resistance of his spouse, Zara Mohammadi," "posting pictures of martyrs on social networks," and "association with a channel called KurdTV," of which he claimed unawareness. His previous arrest on January 3rd, 2023, while attending the Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj, was related to the case of his spouse, Zehra Mohammadi, another Kurdish language lecturer, who was in prison at the time. Ebrahimi was released on bail on January 5th.
