Iran wants to carry out the execution of Arsalan Khodkam, a Kurdish political prisoner, after Ramadan

Hengaw: Arsalan Khodkam, a political prisoner sentenced to death who is being held in Urmia Central Prison, is in serious risk of serving his sentence, and his family say the Revolutionary Guards want his sentence to be carried out immediately.

According to a report received by Hengaw, the death penalty of Arsalan Khodkam (Sohrabi), a political prisoner sentenced to death in Mahabad, has been confirmed, and his death sentence is likely to be carried out after the end of Ramadan.

”The prosecutor told them that the Revolutionary Guards were the main plaintiff in the case and pressured us to immediately carry out the death penalty, and that we could not delay the execution.” A close relative of Khodkam's family told Hengaw.

Arsalan Khodkam, 47, was arrested on Monday, 23 April 2018, on charges of collaborating with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) while he was a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and had gone on a mission to Oshnavieh city. He was sentenced to death on April 2018, by Branch 32 of the Urmia Military Court on charges of spying for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and since then has been held in Urmia Central Prison.

He was barred from having a lawyer during the trial and was given a public defender who was a retired military court judge, told them the case was over and only the Chief Justice of Iran could overturn the death sentence.

The Kurdish citizen from Mhabad was a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in 1999 for a year, and after leaving the party, he returned to Iran and was arrested, but was released because he did not have a private plaintiff.

Arsalan Khodkam (Sohrabi) had been a member of the IRGC since 2002 and had been active in the organization for sixteen years (until his arrest).
A close relative of Khodkam's family, whose name was closed for security reasons told Hengaw: ”Arsalan had been detained for 36 days in the intelligence service Detention and had lost 40 kilograms”.

”Intelligence forces arrested Arsalan's wife, Nashmil Ghoytasi and after hearing his wife's crying voice in the next room, Arsalan said: ”Don't mess with my wife and child, I will confess whatever you want”. According to a Hengaw source.

”Arsalan had been forced to confess to 54 collaborations with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)”. A close relative of Khodkam's family told Hengaw

Nashmil Ghoytasi, who was also detained, was temporarily released on a 50 million Toman bail and sentenced in December by the First Branch of the Urmia Military Court to a year in prison on charges of "acting against national security."