The Kurdish singer ‘Peyman Mirzazadeh’ was transferred to branch 4 of Enforcement Office at Orumiyeh Central Prison and was flogged with 100 lashes to which he had been sentenced in June 2019 in addition to two years of imprisonment. He has gone on hunger strike in protest to the afore-mentioned sentences.

“The reason for issuing a lashes order by Branch 110 of Orumiyeh Public Court was drinking alcohol (Shorb Khamr), and photos which show him singing revolutionary songs while dressing Kurdish guerrillas clothing at a marriage ceremony in Kurdistan of Turkey. “, a source close to this prisoner told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).

“After being flogged with 100 lashed, he was severely bleeding and bruised. At noon today, he wrote a letter in which he announced that he had gone on hunger strike in protest to being sentenced to lashes and a two-year prison term on charges of acting against national security and propaganda against the state. “, the source added.

It is worth mentioning that four more political prisoners are currently on hunger strike at Orumiyeh Prison including Rahmi Turgoot, Bashir Pirmavanah, Mustafa Sabzi and Ghader Salimi.

Peyman Mirzazadeh was arrested by security forces in Orumiyeh on February 21 and was transferred to the Orumiyeh Central Prison after four days of interrogation. He was transferred to Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh on March 02 under the pretext of his arrest warrant being changed to the bai. However, his trial was held on that day without the presence of a lawyer. The court’s verdict of two years in prison and permanent ban from singing served on him in prison shortly after his trial.

The sentence was later reduced to one year and 8 months in prison per the law of ‘Submission to the Verdict’. Therefore, this artist has been sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for his two convictions in total so far.

Peyman Mirzazadeh was previously detained in December 2017 on charges of reciting Kurdish epic and revolutionary songs. He was subsequently sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment by branch 3 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh on charges of propaganda against the state. He was released from the Orumiyeh Central Prison in June 2018 after serving his sentence for this earlier conviction.