Political prisoner Naseh Lahijani sentenced to ten years following torture and prolonged detention

Hengaw – Saturday, September 27, 2025

Iranian authorities have sentenced Kurdish political prisoner Naseh Lahijani, from Piranshahr, to ten years in prison following more than ten months of detention and severe torture. The former member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan is currently being held in Mahabad Prison under unclear conditions.

According to information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Branch 1 of the Mahabad Revolutionary Court convicted Lahijani, a resident of Hamzawa village near Piranshahr, on charges of “membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan for four years” while living in the Kurdistan Region.

During his detention, Lahijani was denied fundamental rights, including telephone contact with his family and in-person visits. Sources reported that he was subjected to intense physical and psychological torture by agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence to coerce a confession.

Lahijani and his wife were arrested in early August 2024 after returning from Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region. His wife was released after two days, but he was later transferred to Mahabad Prison, where he is serving his sentence.