Kurdistan Human Rights Network

The Supreme Court (Branch 47) approved the death sentence for Hedayat Abdollahpour, a prisoner detained at Orumiyeh Central Prison. The court also equally approved the long prison sentence for six other people who were arrested along with Abdollahpour in a conflict at Qaresoghl village in June 2016 and later released on bail.

In a conversation with the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), Hossein Ahmad Niazi (the attorney to Hedayat Abdollahpour) stated that the verdict was confirmed on Oct 8, 2018, at Branch 47 of the Supreme Court and served on Mr. Abdollahpour.

Hedayat Abdullapour

The political prisoner was initially sentenced to death on Jan 10, 2018, by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh on the charge of Baqŷ. However, his lawyer contested the verdict and the case was referred to Branch 47 of the Supreme Court.

“Following the approval of the verdict by the Supreme Court, he is at the risk of imminent execution.” , Ahmad Niazi said.

There is no justified reason to prosecute my client in this case, but given the fact that the Supreme National Security Council of Iran has a law enforcement order to execute Kurdish political prisoners and all death sentences issued for Kurdish political prisoners must be confirmed on this basis, these cases have been turned into political cases and withdrawn from the legal form. Previously, the Supreme Court had concluded that Abdullahpour was innocent. However, the pressure of political and security institutions led to the approval of this sentence which is against the law.

Hedayat Abdollahpour was arrested by Islamic Republic Guards Corps (IRGC) in Shno on June 15, 2016, 50 days after the bloody conflict between the IRGC forces an and the Peshmergah of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran in the village of Qaresoghl. In addition to Hedayat Abdollahpour, six other citizens from Shno including Rasoul Azizi, son of Ibrahim, Muhammad Zahir Faramarzi, son of Karim, Jalal and Kamal Mesrori, son of Moulud, Siddiq Bakeram, son of Hossein and Jaghob Bakaram, son of Rasoul, who were arrested and detained by the IRGC on June 20.

The political prisoner was detained for two months in a detention centre in Orumiyeh to obtain confessions under severe torture including “electric shock”, “thong soles of the legs with cable ” before being transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison.

On Wednesday, January 14, 2018, the Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh (Branch 2) officially served the verdicts for these seven Kurdish on their lawyers. Hedayat Abdollahpour was sentenced to death while Rasoul Azizi, Mohammad Zahir Faramarzi, Jalal Masrori, Yaghoob Bakeram, Sediq Bakram and Kamal Masrovi were sentenced to 25 years, 20 years, 20 years, 15 years and one day, 10 years and10 years plus one day in prison respectively.

The verdict was referred to Branch 47 of the Supreme Court after the lawyers contested the verdict upon which the verdict was annulled and the case was referred to the Orumiyeh division.

Earlier, an informed source had told KHRN that the only reason based on which these prisoners have been accused of armed action and membership in one of the Kurdish parties is that these citizens is that they had provided members of this party with shelter, food and supplies upon arriving in the village of Qaresoghl. Therefore, their action has been considered as being a member of the Democratic Party of Iran’s Kurdistan and all the 7 Kurdish citizens have faced heavy sentences solely on the basis of this charge.

Pictures of Qaresoghl village after the conflict between the IRGC and Peshmergah of the Democratic Party of Iran’s Kurdistan: