Sanandaj: Idris Menbari and Sirveh Pourmohammadi, two Kurdish language teachers, have each been sentenced to ten years in prison
Idris Menbari and Srwa Pourmohammadi, who are educators of the Kurdish language
Hengaw: Friday, October 27, 2023
Idris Menbari and Sirveh Pourmohammadi, who are educators of the Kurdish language, prominent civil activists, and members of the Board of Directors of the Nojin Cultural-Social Association, have received ten-year prison sentences. These sentences were handed down by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to a report obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Idris Menbari and Sirveh Pourmohammadi were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment each by the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, presided over by Judge Karmi. The official announcement of the verdicts took place on Thursday, October 26, 2023, and they were conveyed to Idris Menbari's legal representatives, Jwanmir Abdullahi and Hemn Majidi.
Idris Menbari shared on his personal social media account that these sentences were based on several accusations, including "following Hengaw's social network media pages, participating in the funeral of Jina Amini, advocating for the (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) women's movement, and organizing an educational workshop on federalism through the Nojin Cultural Association," among other charges.
Idris Menbari had previously been sentenced to one year in prison for "disturbance of public order" by Branch 106 of Criminal Court No. 2, headed by Bahman Omidzadeh. This sentence took into account his previous days of detention and his exile to Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah (Kermashan). He was also sentenced to 40 lashes of the 6th grade.
The Nojin Cultural-Social Association's board member was apprehended by security forces on Sunday, December 18, 2022. After 43 days of detention, he was temporarily released on a bail of one billion tomans pending the completion of legal proceedings.
Furthermore, Idris Menbari had faced previous arrests, notably on Thursday, May 23, 2019, during a raid by the Sanandaj Intelligence Department, along with two other members of the Nozhin Association.
In a separate incident, Sirveh Pourmohammadi was taken into custody by government forces on Sunday, January 29, 2023, while visiting the city's court to inquire about the cases of detained Nozhin Association members.
After undergoing interrogation and clarification of the charges, Srwa Pourmohammadi was eventually released on Monday, February 13, 2023. Her release followed the posting of bail, from the Correctional and Education Center and the Central Prison of Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province.
