Uncertainty and prolonged detention of former Kurdish political prisoner Akbar Bagheri

Hengaw: Friday, January 10, 2025

Akbar Bagheri, a Kurdish former political prisoner from Kermanshah (Kirmaşan), has been arrested by security forces of Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran for over two months. Transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, no information regarding his fate or condition has been provided.

According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Bagheri was arrested on Sunday, November 10, 2024, by agents of the Intelligence Department in Tehran without the presentation of an arrest warrant. Since then, he has been held in solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, with no contact allowed with his family.

Despite repeated inquiries to judicial and security authorities, Bagheri’s family has been unable to obtain any information about his whereabouts or condition. A source close to the family revealed that he suffers from hemoglobin-related disorders, intestinal and liver issues, and hemorrhoids, raising serious concerns about his health while in custody.

Bagheri was previously arrested in 2017 in Tehran and detained in Evin Prison. In 2018, he was sentenced by Branch 15 of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Salavati, to nine years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “assembly and collusion.” This sentence was later upheld by the Appeals Court.

Following incidents in Evin Prison in October 2022, Bagheri and several other detainees were transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. He was eventually released on May 8, 2023, under a general pardon directive.

Bagheri, a calligraphy artist and the sole provider for his family, is the father of a 14-year-old daughter.

As of this report, no details have been made available regarding the reasons for his arrest, the charges against him, or his current condition