The “Week in brief” by Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) is a weekly review of the most important human rights news and developments from and about Iran’s Kurdish areas.

Iran confirms death of Kurdish protester prisoner, bans his funeral

Iranian authorities have confirmed the death of a 24-year-old detained Kurdish protester 11 days after his arrest and prevented his family from holding a funeral after officers of the intelligence ministry handed over the dead body for burial in Sanandaj.

Saro Ghahramani (Sarou Gharemani) died under torture at a detention centre of the Iranian intelligence ministry in Sanandaj, sources have said, although Iranian government officials have given conflicting statements on his death.

Intelligence officers had delivered his body to his family and only took his parents in an ambulance to witness the burial of their killed son, banning everybody else from attending the graveyard or hold a funeral.

Iranian forces have since surrounded his parents’ home to ensure that they do not hold a funeral, which could quickly lead to a gathering of local Kurds and family relatives paying respect to the slain Kurdish protester.

The security forces had arrested Ghahremani amid the recent anti-government protests, according to sources, but the government is saying he died amid clashes and had a gun in his hand.

Sources have said that he was previously jailed as a political prisoner on charges of cooperation with a Kurdish political party.

It is not yet clear whether or not Ghahremani had any direct links with outlawed Kurdish opposition parties.

Some local sources have told the KHRN that he was politically sympathetic to Kurdish groups that demanded autonomy for the Kurds in Iran.

But his political connections are yet to be confirmed.

His family have been threatened not to talk to media outlets and international organisations to make sure that the family adhere to whatever the government will soon adopt as its official story on the death of the the the young man.

KHRN is currently working to verify all the information that are being obtained and will give an update, accordingly.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/SarooGhahremani?src=hash

Crackdown on protesters unabated, IRGC on high alert in Kurdistan

Local sources on the ground in the cities of Kermanshah, Orumiyeh, Sanandaj, Kamyaran, Mariwan, Mahabad and Bukan (Bokan), have told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that the Iranian anti-riot forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have maintained a large presence in their areas.

They say that the IRGC is on high alert across the Iranian Kurdistan province and other areas mainly populated by Kurds in neighbouring provinces.

IRGC forces have deployed large numbers of their loyalist militiamen to protect government buildings and the banks in the cities such as Kermanshah.

The troops’ deployment is aimed at militarising those cities that recently witnessed widespread anti-government protests.

KHRN has obtained names and photos of the protesters who have been arrested and detained by the Iranian authorities as well as a detailed account on what have been happening

Read more: http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/en/continued-arrest-of-protesters-irgc-standby-in-kurdistan/

Iran Islamic court sentences Kurdish singer to six months in prison

The Iranian Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh has sentenced Kurdish singer Peyman Mirzadeh to six months in prison on charges of propaganda against the state.

The court considered Mirzadeh’s singing of Kurdish folkloric political songs as a crime of political propaganda against the Islamic Republic.

He was taken to the Orumiyeh Central Prison from a detention centre of Orumiyeh’s intelligence ministry las week.

His trial was held without the presence of a defense lawyer at Branch Three of the the Orumiyeh court.

Read more: http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/en/a-kurdish-singer-sentenced-to-six-months-in-prison/

Iranian government silent on fate of detained civilian Kurds

The security forces have arrested Edris Sharifi at work place on 9 January and he has since remained missing, presumably jailed at an unknown detention centre of the intelligence authorities, a source said.

Sharifi is a civil society activist and in Mariwan (Marivan) and a member of the Ronan Scientific and Cultural Association and Labour Committee.

He was once detained in 2010, according to local KHRN sources.

Kurdish citizen Makwan Hassani was arrested in Nawsoud on 4 January and the Iranian authorities have since refused giving information to his family regarding his whereabouts.

Ako Yar, an Iranian Kurd from Javanroud, was arrested on 3 January in his hometown and the security forces have revealed that he has since been detained in Kermanshah after his family members made multiple requests to the related authorities.

Read more: http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/en/three-kurdish-citizens-arrested-by-security-forces-in-nawsoud-mariwan-and-javanroud/