ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eight Kurdish activists appeared before a court on Tuesday on charges of “propaganda against the state” in Iran’s western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat), a human rights watchdog reported. “Eight labour and civil rights activists appeared today before Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, facing charges of 'propaganda against the state' and ‘disturbing public order and peace,’” the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) said. The defendants are Susan Razani, Seyyed Khaled Hosseini, Jamal Asadi, Farshid Abdollahi, Eghbal Shabani, Fardin Miraki, Sheys Amani, and Arman Salimi, who were previously summoned to court on January 5 and were released on bail pending trial, according to the statement. “The case centres on their participation in the funeral of a dadkhah mother [justice-seeking mother] in Sanandaj, which the authorities have cited as evidence for the charges brought against them,” KHRN said. One of the accused is Farshid Abdollahi, the father of Houman Abdollahi, who was killed during the nationwide antigovernment Jin Jiyan Azadi (Women Life Freedom) protests, which erupted in 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Zhina (Mahsa) Amini in police custody after she was detained for allegedly violating Iran’s strict hijab rules. Tens of thousands of people are held as political prisoners in Iranian jails for charges including advocating for democracy and promoting women's or workers' rights. The country ranks second globally for known executions, and the number of death penalties it implements has risen dramatically in recent years. Tehran has been accused by human rights groups of using the death penalty to suppress minority groups, like Baluchis and Kurds, who were active in the 2022 protests. Tehran executed an estimated 909 prisoners in 2024, with Kurds making up 20 percent of the total, the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported in February.
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