18 years in custody: Life of Kurdish political prisoner Kamal Sharifi at risk  

Hengaw – Monday, May 26, 2025
 
Kamal Sharifi, a Kurdish journalist and political prisoner, has now entered the 18th year of his 30-year prison sentence at Minab Central Prison. Throughout his incarceration, he has been systematically denied basic legal and human rights, including access to medical care, temporary leave, and face-to-face family visits. His health condition has deteriorated severely due to years of torture, a heart attack, multiple strokes, and untreated chronic illnesses.
 
According to the latest reports received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Sharifi’s recent requests—for specialized medical treatment, transfer to a facility with more humane conditions, and in-person visits with his family—have been rejected by the Iranian authorities.
 
The only limited concession granted has been a video call with his elderly mother, conducted under strict surveillance in a fully controlled setting.
 
Arrest of Kamal Sharifi
 
Born in 1972 in Saqqez, Kamal Sharifi is a Kurdish journalist and political activist. He was arrested on May 25, 2008, by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and transferred—blindfolded and with his hands and feet bound—to the Intelligence Detention Center in Sanandaj (Sna).
 
Previously, in 1989 and 1990, Sharifi had been sentenced to two years in prison and 40 lashes by the Revolutionary Court of Saqqez for supporting and cooperating with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
 
Unfair trial and exile sentence
 
Following his 2008 arrest, Sharifi was subjected to brutal physical and psychological torture intended to extract a forced confession. After six months of solitary confinement and torture, he was brought before Branch 1 of the Saqqez Revolutionary Court for a five-minute trial presided over by Judge Shayiq. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison and exile to Minab Prison on charges of "Waging war against God" through “membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.”
 
Sharifi has described the proceedings by stating:
“When I greeted my lawyer, the judge didn’t even allow him to return my greeting.”
 
He was transferred to Minab Central Prison on May 12, 2009. Since then, under pressure from the Intelligence Office in Sanandaj, he has been denied all basic prisoner rights, including temporary leave, in-prison employment, regular family visits, and private phone calls.
 
His only face-to-face visit over the past 18 years occurred in 2012, during a 48-day hunger strike, when he was briefly allowed—under intense security measures—to meet his mother and brother. According to Sharifi, he was not even permitted to speak Kurdish during that visit.
 
Torture and inhumane prison conditions
 
Sharifi has endured severe physical and psychological torture during his detention, including beatings with batons and electric shocks. These practices have left him with broken teeth, damaged joints, and limited mobility.
 
In a letter smuggled out of prison in 2021 and published by Hengaw, he wrote:
"I have submitted more than 20 written requests for medical leave to prosecutors and judicial officials in Hormozgan and Kurdistan. After repeated back-and-forth, none of them have been addressed meaningfully."
 
He continues to be held in the ward for inmates convicted of serious crimes at Minab Central Prison, under constant physical and psychological pressure, and without access to even minimal medical services.
 
Critical health condition
 
Sharifi has suffered at least two major strokes during his imprisonment:
 
2012: A stroke following an extended hunger strike, which resulted in paralysis of the right side of his body.
 
2021: A heart attack, for which he underwent emergency surgery at a hospital in Bandar Abbas.
 
 
Despite the severity of his condition, Iranian authorities have denied him access to specialized medical care.
 
Clear violations of international law
 
Kamal Sharifi’s arrest, trial, sentence, and prison conditions are in direct violation of international human rights standards, specifically the following articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory:
 
Article 7: Prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
 
Article 10: The right of all persons deprived of their liberty to be treated with humanity and respect for their dignity.
 
Article 14: The right to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal.
 
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights expresses deep concern over the deteriorating physical and psychological condition of Kamal Sharifi and calls on international bodies to take urgent and effective action regarding his case.