Kurdish political prisoner Pejman Soltani, arrested during "Woman, Life, Freedom” Movement sentenced to death

Hengaw: Sunday, February 9, 2025

Pejman Soltani, a Kurdish political prisoner, arrested during the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement in Bukan, has been sentenced to death by Branch One of the Special Juvenile Criminal Court of West Azerbaijan (Urmia) Province. Two other defendants in the case, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri and Soran (Ali) Qasemi, have been sentenced to 15 years and 10 years and one day of imprisonment, respectively.

According to a report received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, 32-year-old Pejman Soltani, currently imprisoned in Urmia Central Prison, has been convicted of “premeditated murder” of a Basij member during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. In the same case, 47-year-old Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri and 28-year-old Soran (Ali) Qasemi were convicted of “complicity in murder” and sentenced to 15 years and 10 years and one day of imprisonment. 42-year-old Kaveh Salehi, another defendant in the case, was acquitted of all charges.

The trial for these detainees took place on December 29, 2024, and the verdicts were officially delivered to them on January 15, 2025 in Urmia Central Prison.

However, the legal proceedings against them continue. Along with Jawanmard Mam-Khosravi, another detainee from the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, they face additional charges in Urmia’s Revolutionary Court, including “Waging war against God” (moharebeh), “rebellion” (baghi), sending medical supplies, and smuggling Starlink devices.

Soltani was arrested at his workplace on April 15, 2023, while Qasemi was detained outside his home on the same day. Babamiri was taken into custody by intelligence forces on April 17, 2023.

Following their arrests, they were transferred to the Urmia Intelligence Detention Center, where they were held in solitary confinement for four months and subjected to severe torture. Reports state that they were forced to make coerced confessions.