Iran sentences Kurdish paramedic to 90 months in prison: Monitor

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran has sentenced a Kurdish paramedic to 90 months in prison for his involvement in treating wounded protesters during the Zhina (Mahsa) Amini demonstrations last year, a human rights monitor reported on Sunday.

Hengaw Human Rights Organization revealed that Naser Fagheh-Eissa, a member of Mahabad’s Red Crecsent, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison, after being arrested by Iranian intelligence forces in Mahabad in late October.

The Mahabad criminal court has charged Fagheh-Eissa with treating the wounded protesters, disrupting public order, and the possession of bullets.

The paramedic might see a further increase in his sentence, as he awaits another court session where he is being tried for charges related to another case.

Thousands of wounded protesters were treated at home by medical personnel working in secret and away from the eyes of the security forces, as they could not risk seeking help at hospital where they stood the chance of being arrested for taking part in what the authorities had labeled as “riots”.

Related: Kurdish doctor risks life to help wounded protesters in Iran

22-year-old Amini died in police custody last September after being detained for allegedly wearing a lax hijab. Authorities claimed that the cause of death was a heart attack, but human rights activists and witnesses said she had been beaten inside the police van, leading to her death.

Amini’s death sparked nationwide protests initially against the country’s strict dress code for women, before turning into a full-blown revolution calling for the overthrow of the Islamic regime. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its paramilitary Basij led a violent crackdown against the protesters, killing hundreds of people and wounding thousands others.

The protests around the country eventually simmered down, but Iran’s crackdown was the subject of massive international condemnation. 

Rudaw English has withheld the name of the special correspondent out of concern for their safety.