Urmia, Iran : Kurdish Political Prisoner Initiates Hunger Strike

Hengaw, Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Shaker Behrouz, a Kurdish political detainee from Urmia, has commenced a hunger strike in protest against his prolonged, unjust detention at Urmia Central Prison, despite the fact that his sentence has ended. He has spent 5 years, 1 month, and 7 days incarcerated without the opportunity for furlough. During this time, he has faced two death sentences, both of which were overturned.

According to a report obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Shaker Behrouz, a political prisoner from “Dizaj Margavar” in Urmia, began his hunger strike on Sunday, April 13, 2024. Today marks the fourth day of his strike.

Despite his sentence ending last month, Shaker Behrouz remains detained under unclear circumstances by the Urmia Court’s enforcement branch, citing ongoing case review.

Shaker Behrouz was initially sentenced to death in August 2020 by the Second Branch of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, under Judge Sheikhlou’s jurisdiction, on charges of “rebellion” and “Komala Party membership.” This charge was rendered while he was previously affiliated with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, for which he had received a 5-year prison sentence by the same court. Eventually, the death sentence was overturned by the First Branch of the Iranian Supreme Court.

A resident of “Dizaj Margavar,” Shaker Behrouz had been a member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan for 7 months before returning to Iran. He was apprehended by Urmia intelligence forces on Wednesday, March 12, 2019. After spending over a year at the department’s detention center, he was transferred to Urmia Central Prison in spring 2022.

In December 2020, the First Branch of the Special Criminal Court for Juveniles in Urmia sentenced Shaker Behrouz to death for the alleged murder of a Revolutionary Guards member. This sentence was upheld by the 31st Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom last year.

The case was closed with the consent of the plaintiff’s family on June 30, 2022. Nevertheless, Shaker Behrouz was returned to Urmia Central Prison’s political ward, where he was placed in solitary confinement in anticipation of execution.