Urgent: Hengaw Warns of Imminent Execution Risk for Kurdish Political Prisoner Hamid Hoseinnezhad Heidaranlou

Hengaw Organization for Human Rights expresses its deep concern over the imminent and serious risk of execution faced by Hamid Hoseinnezhad Heidaranlou, a Kurdish political prisoner from Chaldoran.

According to reports received by Hengaw, in the early hours of the day designated for the execution, Hamid was abruptly transferred to the detention center of the Intelligence Ministry in Urmia, without any legal explanation or official notification. In a brief, heavily monitored phone call lasting only a few seconds, he informed his family of his whereabouts—denied any opportunity to speak freely. This incident signals the continuation of intense psychological and security pressure on the prisoner.

This tactic—combined with the sudden halt of the announced execution—follows a familiar pattern used by the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly against political detainees from the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi / Woman, Life, Freedom” movement: a temporary suspension to defuse media and public attention, followed by a sudden and secret execution.

Based on years of documenting executions and verifying reports of unlawful disappearances, Hengaw warns that the threat of a covert execution or forced disappearance of Hamid Hoseinnezhad Heidaranlou is real and imminent. This would not reflect justice, but rather serve as part of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s systematic campaign of repression against Kurds and political prisoners.

We call on the international community, UN Special Rapporteurs, human rights monitoring bodies, governments committed to human rights principles, independent media, and Iranian civil society to:

    1.    View this situation not as a suspended execution, but as a case placed on standby for a politically opportune moment.

    2.    Ensure public pressure does not ease, and amplify the voice of this prisoner’s family, who, despite severe repression, refuse to be silenced.

    3.    Demand the unconditional and immediate halt of the execution.

    4.    Insist on Hamid’s right to legal representation, safe and unrestricted communication with family, and access to independent medical care.

    5.    Hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for any potential violation of the right to life, torture, and inhumane treatment.

Hengaw Organization for Human Rights

April 19, 2025