An Injured Kurdish Protester, Sadegh Mahmoudnejad, Receives Five-Year Sentence

Hengaw: Saturday, December 2, 2023

Sadegh Mahmoudnejad, a participant in the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi movement in Piranshahr who sustained injuries to his eye during the protests, has been handed a sentence of five years and six months by the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This comes in addition to a prior conviction of three months in prison and 30 lashes in a separate case.

According to a report obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Sadegh Mahmoudnejad, a married father from the village of "Jeran" in Piranshahr, faced charges of "membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan" and "propaganda against the government" at the Mahabad Revolutionary Court. He has been sentenced to a cumulative period of five years and six months in prison.

The injured protester had previously received a three-month prison sentence and 30 lashes from Branch 102 of the Criminal Court of Piranshahr for his involvement in protests, charged with "disturbing public order and peace."

In a prior report on Sadegh Mahmoudnejad's health, Hengaw highlighted his extensive eye surgeries at Khomeini Hospital in Urmia, Farabi Hospital in Tehran, and Ramsar city's Sajjad Hospital. Despite these efforts, his left-eye vision remains significantly impaired, estimated at approximately 20%.

Sadegh Mahmoudnejad was arrested on July 3, 2023, at his residence by government forces. Subsequently, on July 27 of the same year, he was provisionally released on bail of 4 billion tomans until the conclusion of legal proceedings.

It's important to note that during the popular protests in "Mamosta Hajar" square of Piranshahr on the evening of September 21, 2022, Sadegh Mahmoudnejad sustained eye injuries from direct gunfire by security forces.