Shahin Dej— Prison sentences enforced against three Kurdish men for celebrating Newroz

Hengaw – Monday, September 15, 2025

Three Kurdish men from Shahin Dej (Sayin Qala) — Osman Abbasi, Heyman Alizadeh, and Shahram Soltani — were arrested and transferred to Miandoab Prison to serve sentences totaling more than three years. They had been convicted by the Iranian judiciary for participating in Newroz celebrations.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on Sunday, September 14, 2025, Abbasi, Alizadeh, and Soltani, all residents of Hajjiabad Jaqto village in Shahin Dej, were taken to prison to serve their terms.

Earlier, Branch 1 of the Shahin Dej Revolutionary Court sentenced Abbasi and another individual, Rahman Khosravi, each to seven months and 16 days in prison; Alizadeh to 15 months and one day; and Soltani to nine months and one day.

The men were convicted of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” with the court citing their participation in Newroz celebrations and the raising of Kurdistan flag as evidence.

They were first arrested at dawn on Thursday, May 9, 2024, during a raid by Intelligence Department forces on their homes in Hajjiabad Jaqto. After several days in custody, they were released on heavy bail of 3 billion tomans each, pending trial.