Kurdish man in Piranshahr sentenced to imprisonment

Hengaw: Monday, January 13, 2025

Esmail Soleimani, a 39-year-old Kurdish man from Piranshahr, has been sentenced to ten months of imprisonment by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He has recently been summoned to the First Branch of Criminal Enforcement in the Piranshahr Public and Islamic Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office to serve his sentence.

According to documents obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on October 11, 2024, Soleimani was sentenced by Branch 102 of the Criminal Court Two of Piranshahr, presided over by Judge Hamed Peymani, for the charge of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The accusation stemmed from sending photos to Telegram channels.

The verdict was upheld on November 14, 2024, by Branch 23 of the Appeals Court of West Azerbaijan Province (Urmia). Soleimani is now required to present himself to judicial authorities in the coming days to serve his prison term.

Hengaw has learned that Soleimani was initially arrested in July 2024 by the Intelligence Office in Piranshahr. He was released on bail shortly afterward, pending the completion of judicial proceedings.