Kurdish Cleric Mamosta Zana Khoshaman Arrested and Incarcerated: Serving a Two-Year Sentence in Naghadeh Central Prison

Hengaw: Thursday, December 14, 2023

Mamosta Zana Khoshaman, a Kurdish cleric hailing from Piranshahr and one of the detainees of the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi movement, was arrested and subsequently transferred to Naghadeh Central Prison to fulfill a two-year and one-month prison sentence.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on December 13, 2023, Zana Khoshaman, residing in the village of "Shinabad" in Piranshahr, was apprehended following a summons by the branch responsible for executing sentences within the General and Revolutionary Court office of the city.

This Kurdish cleric had previously been sentenced to two years and one month of imprisonment by the first branch of the Mahabad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Amir Ojaklou. The charge against him was "membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan," with the sentence officially conveyed on Thursday, June 15 of the same year.

Mamosta Zana Khoshaman, an educator at Salahaddin Ayubi School of Religious Sciences in Piranshahr, had been arrested by security forces on Thursday, October 20, 2022, concurrently with the Women, Life, Freedom Movement, alongside his wife, Sinur Qadri. While Sinur Qadri was released after two days, Mamosta Zana Khoshaman was transferred to one of Urmia's security detention centers. During his detention, this cleric was denied access to legal representation and visits.

After spending a few months in Naghadeh prison, Mamosta Zana Khoshaman was released on bail, albeit temporarily, pending the conclusion of legal proceedings.