The severe condition of four Kurdish political prisoners who are facing torture, forced confessions, and framing-up cases raise concern

Hengaw: December 15, 2022

Concerns have been raised over the imposition of harsh sentences against four political prisoners named  Mohsen Mazloom, Mohammad (Hazhir) Faramarzi, Vafa Azarbar, and Pejman Fatihi after their coerced confessions were rebroadcast by IRIB.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) aired Mohsen Mazloom, Mohammad (Hazhir) Faramarzi, Vafa Azarbar, and Pejman Fatihi's forced confession for the second time on Monday, December 5, 2022, according to a report obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. The history of frame-ups by government institutions created a wave of concern about the possibility of issuing heavy sentences against these four prisoners.

The signs of harsh torture are clearly visible in the video of these citizens' forced confessions, and this issue highlights the precarious circumstances of their detention.

27-year-old Vafa Azarbar, 26, from Bukan, Mohsen Mazloom, 28, from Mahabad, Pejman Fatihi, 28, from Kamiyaran, and Mohammad Faramarzi, 28, from Dehgolan were all detained for 137 days and were denied access to the most fundamental rights, like seeing a lawyer and having visitors.

These four citizens were detained on Saturday, July 23, 2022, in the village of Yengejeh in the Soma and Bradost of Urmia. They are all members of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.

The wife of Mohsen Mazloom, Jwana Taymesi, recently expressed her worry by publishing a video regarding the most recent state of these four Kurdish political prisoners and requesting action from both the international community and citizens inside Iran to stop them from receiving harsh penalties.

She stated in her message that the families of these four political prisoners' requests and follow-ups had been ignored and that the government institutions had questioned and threatened these families.

While expressing worry for the fate of these detainees, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights urges that the Islamic Republic of Iran's government be held accountable for the procedure controlling the case of Kurdish political activists, particularly the members of Kurdish parties.