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 court jails five protesters to years in prison in Orumiyeh

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh has sentenced five people from six to five years behind bars, respectively, for having taken part in recent anti-government protests.

“Matin Khalidi and Amin Ali Zand were sentenced to five years of imprisonment on charges of acting against national security in addition to one year of imprisonment due to propaganda against the regime,” a source said in an interview with KHRN.

The source added: “ Nasser Hosni and Safar Ordoukhani were sentenced to one year in priosn on charges of propaganda against the regime and Monireh Soltanzadeh was sentenced to six months in prison on charges of propaganda against the regime.”

A Number of People Detained at The Recent Protests Sentenced to Imprisonment in Orumiyeh

Kurds protest Iran closure of Iraq border posts

Shop owners and businessmen in Iran’s Kurdish Baneh and Piranshahr areas, as well as Kolbar wokrers, have joined forces and continued a collective strike to protest the closure of unofficial border crossings between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iranian Kurdish reigon, say KHRN sources.

The border closure has resulted in immediate halt of job and rising unemployment for the Kurdish Kolbar workers, who make their below average income are by transporting items on their back on the border crossings.

Iranian authorities have arrested some Kurdish traders and businessmen for their involvement in cross-border contracts and the Kurds on strike have called for their release as well as the immediate re-opening of the all the border crossing points.

They also demand that the Tehran government looks into rising unemployment in the area and take steps towards providing basic social security for the unprecedented number of unemployed people in the Kurdish border cities and towns.

Shop Owners and Businessmen in Baneh and Piranshahr on strike for the Fourth Consecutive Day

Kurdish worker activist to serve two months in prison in Iran

An Iranian Kurdish workers’ rights activist has been taken to a prison in the city of Saqeez to serve two months in jail.

Iranian security forces arrested him on 28 April 2015 before the May Day celebrations and he was held at detention centre for over 10 days.

He was sentenced in September that same year to one year in prison on charged of “cooperation” with opposition groups agains the Islamic Republic”, particularly communist groups, including the Kurdish Komalah party.

He disputed the ruling an and an appeal court on 25 may commuted his sentence two months in prison.

Enforcement of Imprisonment Sentence for a Kurdish Worker Activist at Saqqez Prison