Thirteen Kurdish citizens were sentenced to a total of 34 years and five months in prison

Hengaw; Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Abdul Karim Kakol, Soleiman Sharwerani, Khezer Abdollahi, Osman Hamzezadeh, Aram Sha'ban, Fakhreddin Podat, Yaqub Mahmoudi Azar, Khoshnaw Ayni, Pirot Tabnak, Yousef Rahmani, Farhang Keramat, Bahman Mahmoudi Azar, and Mohsen Azizi, Kurdish citizens from Oshnovieh (Shno), were sentenced to a total of 34 years and 5 months in prison by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, individuals facing recent sentences include Bahman Mahmoudi Azar from Oshnovieh and Yaqub Mahmoodi Azar from Singan village in the same city. They were both sentenced to seven years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Oshnovieh, presided over by Judge Mehdi Rezaei. Additionally, Khoshnaw Ayni and Pirot Tabnak from the village of Singan in Oshnavieh, along with Mohsen Azizi from Oshnovieh, have each received two-year prison terms. Farhang Kermat, also hailing from the village of Singan in Oshnovieh, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison, while Yusuf Rahmani from Oshnavieh faces a sentence of two years and five months behind bars.

Simultaneously, Abdul Karim Kakol from Hasan Nuran village in Oshnovieh, along with Soleiman Sharwerani and Khezer Abdollahi, both residents of Oshnavieh, received one-year prison sentences each from the Revolutionary Court of this city, presided over by Judge Mehdi Rezaei. Furthermore, Aram Sha'ban from Oshnovieh was sentenced to three years and three months in prison, while Fakhreddin Podat from the village of "Biteryan" and Osman Hamzezadeh from the village of "Quroshay," a district of Oshnavieh, each face one year and three months of imprisonment.

According to an informed source, the Oshnovieh Revolutionary Court has sentenced the six individuals to a total of 34 years and 5 months in prison on charges of "membership and in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI)" and "cooperation with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI)".

Abdul Karim Kakol, Soleiman Sharwerani, Khezer Abdollahi, Osman Hamzezadeh, Aram Sha'ban, and Fakhreddin Podat were forcefully apprehended during a raid on their residences between 2 and 4 a.m. on Sunday, July 9, 2023, by the forces of the IRGC's intelligence department. Subsequently, they were released from Oshnovieh prison on bail pending the conclusion of legal proceedings.

Additionally, seven other citizens were arrested in July by security forces and later released from the central prison of Oshnovieh on bail, awaiting the completion of legal proceedings.