ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iranian court has upheld the death sentence of an alleged member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) convicted of armed rebellion, a human rights watchdog said on Saturday.
“The Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran has upheld the death sentence of Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heydaranlou, a Kurdish political prisoner from Chaldoran currently held at Urmia Central Prison. He was previously sentenced to death on the charge of baghi (armed rebellion),” said the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization.
Heydaranlou, a 40-year-old from Sagrik village in Chaldoran, West Azerbaijan province, was arrested along with several Afghan nationals on April 13, 2023 near the border with Turkey. The Urmia Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death for alleged PKK ties, following a brief and unfair trial, according to Hengaw.
“The court, acting under pressure from the Intelligence Ministry, linked Heydaranlou to retaliatory attacks allegedly in response to the 2015 killing of his brother-in-law, Mostafa Nouri, by state forces while working as a kolbar (border porter),” Hengaw said.
Heydaranlou was denied legal representation during both his detention and trial, sources told Hengaw.
“He was held for 11 months and 10 days at the Urmia Intelligence Detention Center under intense psychological and physical pressure. During this time, he was denied visitation rights and allowed only two phone calls. He was subjected to torture and coerced into making confessions, including admitting to armed actions against Iranian border forces and the killing of at least eight security personnel,” Hengaw said.
He appealed his conviction in August 2024 and the case was referred to the Supreme Court, which dismissed it.
Iran ranks second globally for known executions, according to Amnesty International. In 2024, it put 909 prisoners to death, with Kurds making up 20 percent of the total, Hengaw reported in February.
Amnesty International has warned that the number of executions Tehran carries out has dramatically risen in recent years and accused Iran of using the death penalty to suppress minority groups, like Baluchis and Kurds.
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