Kurdish political prisoner, Naser Bekrzadeh sentenced to death on charges of "Espionage for Israel"
Hengaw: Sunday, November 10, 2024
Naser Bekrzadeh, a Kurdish individual held in Urmia Central Prison, has been sentenced to death by the judiciary of Islamic Republich of Iran on charges of "espionage for Israel." He is the fourth Kurdish prisoner to have received a death sentence for alleged espionage for Israel in recent days.
According to a report received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Naser Bekrzadeh, a 25-year-old from Urmia, was recently sentenced to death by Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court in Urmia, presided over by Judge Najafzadeh, on charges of "espionage for Israel."
Bekrzadeh was initially arrested by IRGC intelligence forces in Urmia on August 9 of last year. After a few weeks in detention, he was temporarily released upon signing a commitment but was re-arrested by IRGC intelligence on January 2, 2024. Following several months of intense interrogation under pressure, he was eventually transferred to Urmia Central Prison.
Meanwhile, three other Kurdish prisoners—Edris Ali and Azad Shojaei from Sardasht, and Rasul Ahmad Muhammad from Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq—have also been sentenced to death by the judiciary of Islamic Republic of Iran on similar espionage charges. This verdict was recently publicly disclosed after nearly a year.
On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Asghar Jahangiri, spokesperson for the judiciary, claimed at a press conference—without specifying names—that these three individuals were involved in transporting assassination equipment for Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mehhabadi, a former Deputy Minister of Defense and senior figure in Iran’s nuclear program, under the guise of alcohol smuggling.
These three prisoners were sentenced to death last fall, but the news was only announced after over a year and following retaliatory Israeli attacks on Iranian military bases.
During their detention, the individuals were denied access to legal representation and even visitation rights. Over the course of eight months, they were subjected to extreme torture, which led to coerced confessions and acceptance of the charges. After eight months, they were transferred to Urmia Central Prison.
Over the past year, at least seven other Kurdish prisoners—named Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omari Badriani, Rahman Parhazu, Pejman Fatehi, Mohsen Mazloum, Vafa Azarbar, and Mohammad Faramerzi—have been executed in Urmia and Ghezel Hesar prisons on charges of espionage and alleged ties to Israel.
In addition to these four prisoners, one of whom is from Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region, another Kurdish prisoner, Shahin Vasaf from Salmas—who was arrested during the "Woman, LIfe, Freedom" movement—has also been sentenced to death on charges of espionage for Israel.
