Leila Pashaei and Baran Saeedi  face  new  charges; Bail  increased in Sanandaj Court

Hengaw -Tuesdaz, May 26, 2025
 
Leila Pashaei and Baran Saeedi, two Kurdish civil rights activists detained in connection with International Women’s Day events and the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement, were summoned to Branch 2 of the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court for further investigation. During the session, they were formally charged with two additional offenses.
 
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on Monday, May 26, 2025, both women appeared before Judge Ramazani. They were informed of new charges: “forming an illegal group” and “propaganda against the state.” As a result, the court increased their temporary release bail from 500 million to 600 million tomans.
 
Previously, Pashaei and Saeedi had only been accused of “assembly and collusion against national security.” The latest charges significantly expand the scope of the prosecution’s case.
 
Leila Pashaei, 45, a native of Saqqez and resident of Sanandaj (Sna), and Baran Saeedi, also 45 and from Sanandaj, were first arrested on March 10, 2025, during a Women’s Day gathering in Sanandaj. They were taken into custody by Intelligence forces without a court order and transferred to the local Intelligence Detention Center.
 
After 16 days in detention, the two activists were released on March 25, 2025, upon posting bail set at 500 million tomans, pending the completion of judicial proceedings.
 
During their detention, they were held in quarantine cells at Sanandaj Central Prison. According to Hengaw’s earlier reports, they were denied access to legal representation and family contact and were subjected to pressure aimed at extracting forced confessions.