Latest news with #Hengaw
Rudaw Net
5 days ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iran frees teen held for reciting Kurdish poetry, father still detained
Also in Iran Iran expands crackdown on alleged spies, collaborators with Israel, US Trump says scheduled new nuclear talks with Iran Pezeshkian accuses Israel of assasination attempt, 'destroying' US-Iran diplomacy Iran arrests 900 since start of Israel war: watchdog A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian intelligence forces have released 14-year-old Kezhal Salehi three days after she was detained for reciting Kurdish poetry, a watchdog said on Thursday. Her father remains in custody. 'Kezhal Salehi, a 14-year-old Kurdish girl from the village of Naveh in Bojnurd, North Khorasan Province, was temporarily released after three days in detention,' stated the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization. The girl's father, Araz Salehi, remains in detention. He was arrested on Tuesday. 'Security forces raided her parents' home in an attempt to arrest her. When they failed to locate her, they detained her father instead. A few hours later, Kezhal was arrested at a separate location,' Hengaw said. Kezhal was arrested after reciting Kurdish poems in praise of Kurdistan at several cultural events. Her performances drew widespread support and went viral on social media among the Kurdish population in Iran. According to information received by Hengaw, on the evening of Tuesday, July 15, 2025, forces from the Intelligence Department in Bojnurd, North Khorasan province, raided the home of 14-year-old Kazhal Salehi with the intention of arresting her. Hengaw has learned that Kazhal… — Hengaw Organization for Human Rights (@Hengaw_English) July 15, 2025 Intelligence forces confiscated all mobile phones and electronic devices during a search of the family's home and ordered all family members to report for interrogation, according to Hengaw. Iran's constitution recognizes Persian as the official language but allows for the use of 'regional and tribal languages' in the press and mass media, and for teaching the literature of those languages in schools. Kurdish teachers and activists have long campaigned for the implementation of this right, but many continue to be arrested for their efforts to promote and teach the Kurdish language. Since Israel's attack on Iran last month and their 12-day war, Iranian authorities have arrested more than 318 Kurds, in addition to many others across the country, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside Iran: Behnaz Mahjoubi arrested without cause as executions and paranoia grip Iran
Crackdowns are in force throughout Iran, with Revolutionary Guards on an all-out hunt for dissidents A wave of arrests is in full force in Iran, with the Islamic Republic arresting hundreds of people suspected of spying for Israel. On Saturday, the sister of a prominent protester who died in an Iranian prison was arrested in the southeastern province of Kerman. According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a nonprofit promoting the rights of Iran's Kurdish community, plainclothes agents detained Behnaz Mahjoubi at her workplace in Kerman without presenting her an arrest warrant. Behnaz Mahjoubi's brother, Behnam Mahjoubi, was arrested in 2018 and died in prison in 2021. His arrest followed a government crackdown that year on protesters from the Gonabadi Dervishes, a Sufi minority. Five protesters were reportedly killed during the demonstrations, scores were injured, and hundreds were arrested. Iranian sources told The Media Line that Behnaz spoke publicly about her brother's plight following his death, although she hasn't spoken out recently. According to Iman Forouton, chair of the anti-regime New Iran organization and the SOS Iran activist network, the Islamic Republic has become paranoid in the wake of the war and is rounding up anyone related to those who protested in the past, particularly those whose family members were killed by the state. Former Iranian political prisoner Shabnam Madadzadeh shared a video on social media of Behnaz's mother, Batoul Hosseini, speaking out about her daughter's abduction. 'Behnaz suffers from a heart condition. The Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC will be held fully responsible for anything that happens to her,' Hosseini said. Forouton told The Media Line that members of theBaháʼí faith, Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority, are also being arrested. The Islamic Republic judiciary signed off on the execution of three Iranian men this week, convicting them of espionage on behalf of Mossad's intelligence agency. According to the Iranian Students' New Agency (ISNA), which is affiliated with the Islamic Republic, the men were convicted of espionage on behalf of Israel. Hundreds of others were arrested during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. Dissidents, opposition leaders, journalists, writers are all being detained, as the country is grappling with an unprecedented threat to the regime's grip on power. According to Iran International, a Washington-based news network critical of the regime, a journalist was arrested last week over his war coverage. In the days since Israeli bombs stopped falling on Iran, state security guards have emerged from hiding. A massive crackdown is in force, with checkpoints popping up throughout the country. One of the activists involved in Forouton's SOS Iran resistance network told The Media Line that guards in Iran have set up checkpoints every kilometer or two to check cars and buses. Citing leaked intelligence documents, The Times reported last week that the Mossad had been present in Iran since 2010, familiarizing themselves with the nuclear program and infiltrating sites including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters and the Sanjarian nuclear site. The accomplishments achieved by Israel earlier this week—taking out key regime officials and nuclear scientists and severely damaging nuclear program infrastructure—may have taken place over 12 days, but they resulted from a decade and a half of boots on the ground. The chief of the Mossad said last week that the intelligence service will continue to operate in Iran. "We will be there, just as we have been there until now," Mossad chief David Barnea said. On Thursday, the Mossad's Farsi-language social media posted a message to the Iranian people: 'A ceasefire has been implemented. Now, the extent of the damage is becoming clear.' The post noted that the Mossad had established a team of Farsi-speaking doctors who were available to support civilians. The next day, the page added another post: 'Dear Iranian citizens, you know that we will do our utmost to ensure no harm comes to you. Our fight is with the oppressive Islamic Republic regime.' It warned civilians to stay away from the members of the Revolutionary Guards, security personnel, bases, and regime vehicles and to avoid answering unknown calls or texts. Internet access in Iran has been reinstated after being cut off during the war. The SOS Iran activist who spoke to The Media Line said that the Islamic Regime has been indiscriminately sending texts to everyone with warnings to the public and threats that they are being watched. On June 25, Iran's judiciary together with the Intelligence Ministry announced changes to its espionage law, as was previously reported by The Media Line. A new committee was formed to monitor civilians' online activity. He said that the Morality Police have resumed stopping the public and checking civilians' phones. One acquaintance in Iran told the activist to stop texting him and that he was going to change his SIM card. Directives have also reportedly been given to the public to weed out the Mossad agents or accomplices. Iranians have been told to report on neighbors whose houses are regularly visited by strange men, who have large piles of garbage outside their homes, who mostly keep their curtains closed. This is a developing story.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran hangs man over 2022 protest deaths, activists say conviction wrongful
Iran on Wednesday hanged a man convicted of killing seven people, including a 10-year-old boy, during nationwide protests in 2022 but human rights groups said he was the victim of a wrongful conviction. Abbas Kurkuri, also known as Mojahed Kurkur, was hanged at dawn in Sheiban prison in the western city of Ahvaz, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Hengaw groups said. His execution was reported by the Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website which said he had been convicted by a Revolutionary Court of the capital offences of "corruption on earth" and "waging war against God". He had been arrested more than two years previously over the deaths in November 2022 at the height of the nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd detained for an alleged breach of Iran's strict dress code for women. He was accused of opening fire with a military weapon in the town of Izeh northeast of Ahvaz in an attack that left seven people dead, including 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak, whose death sparked outrage at the time. At his trial, Kurkuri confessed to the charges and said he had been "under the influence of social media", Mizan said. But human rights groups said his confession, which was broadcast by Iranian state media and re-published by Mizan on Wednesday, had been obtained under duress and accused the authorities of framing him to take the blame away from the security forces. - 'Tsunami' of executions - "During his detention, Korkor endured severe torture and was denied access to legal counsel," said Hengaw, adding that Pirfalak's mother had said at her son's funeral that it was security personnel who fired at their vehicle. It noted that the execution had taken place on what would have been the boy's birthday. IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam described the execution as "an extrajudicial killing". "The Islamic republic authorities attempted to blame him for the murder of 10-year old Kian Pirfalak by forcing confessions under torture," he said. He said the hanging of Kurkuri, a member of Iran's Bahktiari minority, was the latest in a "tsunami" of executions in Iran, with convicts currently being put to death at a rate of four a day. According to IHR, at least 569 people have been hanged in Iran so far this year. Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, currently on leave from her own prison sentence, said Kurkuri had been "brutally tortured in solitary confinement (and) falsely accused of Kian's murder based on fabricated claims by interrogators and the regime's judiciary". Amnesty International said he was convicted after a "grossly unfair sham trial marred by torture-tainted 'confessions' obtained while he was subjected to enforced disappearance". The London-based group said its investigations had showed "plainclothes security officials used unlawful lethal force during protests in Izeh and fatally fired live ammunition at the child". "Authorities immediately blamed 'terrorists', but the boy's family repeatedly refuted these claims publicly and attributed the responsibility to the authorities." Over 550 people were killed in the authorities' crackdown on the protests, according to the IHR's figures. The authorities emphasise that members of the security forces also lost their lives. Kurkuri's execution comes a day after Iran hanged nine men convicted of plotting to carry out attacks in 2018 on behalf of the Islamic State group. Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International. bur-sjw/ekf/kir
France 24
11-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Iran hangs man over 2022 protest deaths, activists say conviction wrongful
Abbas Kurkuri, also known as Mojahed Kurkur, was hanged at dawn in Sheiban prison in the western city of Ahvaz, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Hengaw groups said. His execution was reported by the Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website which said he had been convicted by a Revolutionary Court of the capital offences of "corruption on earth" and "waging war against God". He had been arrested more than two years previously over the deaths in November 2022 at the height of the nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd detained for an alleged breach of Iran's strict dress code for women. He was accused of opening fire with a military weapon in the town of Izeh northeast of Ahvaz in an attack that left seven people dead, including 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak, whose death sparked outrage at the time. At his trial, Kurkuri confessed to the charges and said he had been "under the influence of social media", Mizan said. But human rights groups said his confession, which was broadcast by Iranian state media and re-published by Mizan on Wednesday, had been obtained under duress and accused the authorities of framing him to take the blame away from the security forces. 'Tsunami' of executions "During his detention, Korkor endured severe torture and was denied access to legal counsel," said Hengaw, adding that Pirfalak's mother had said at her son's funeral that it was security personnel who fired at their vehicle. It noted that the execution had taken place on what would have been the boy's birthday. IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam described the execution as "an extrajudicial killing". "The Islamic republic authorities attempted to blame him for the murder of 10-year old Kian Pirfalak by forcing confessions under torture," he said. He said the hanging of Kurkuri, a member of Iran's Bahktiari minority, was the latest in a "tsunami" of executions in Iran, with convicts currently being put to death at a rate of four a day. According to IHR, at least 569 people have been hanged in Iran so far this year. Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, currently on leave from her own prison sentence, said Kurkuri had been "brutally tortured in solitary confinement (and) falsely accused of Kian's murder based on fabricated claims by interrogators and the regime's judiciary". Amnesty International said he was convicted after a "grossly unfair sham trial marred by torture-tainted 'confessions' obtained while he was subjected to enforced disappearance". The London-based group said its investigations had showed "plainclothes security officials used unlawful lethal force during protests in Izeh and fatally fired live ammunition at the child". "Authorities immediately blamed 'terrorists', but the boy's family repeatedly refuted these claims publicly and attributed the responsibility to the authorities." Over 550 people were killed in the authorities' crackdown on the protests, according to the IHR's figures. The authorities emphasise that members of the security forces also lost their lives. Kurkuri's execution comes a day after Iran hanged nine men convicted of plotting to carry out attacks in 2018 on behalf of the Islamic State group. Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.
Rudaw Net
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
IRGC denies Kurdish prisoner release despite jail approval: Watchdog
Also in Iran Iran says to respond 'without hesitation' if attacked Iran arrests two over port blast, including senior government employee Hawraman marks centuries-old Komsay ceremony Nuclear talks must secure Iran's interests or be abandoned, says Khamenei aide A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied the conditional release of a Kurdish political prisoner despite the request being approved by the Yazd Central Prison after he served almost 17 years behind bars, a human rights watchdog reported on Sunday. 'Khaled Zamani - a Kurdish political prisoner, father of three daughters and one son, and a native of Khoy - remains deprived of both prison leave and conditional release, despite having served 6,151 days behind bars,' the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization said. Zamani, on a 30-year prison sentence, has faced the 'ongoing denial of furlough by the IRGC's Intelligence Organization,' Hengaw added, with the latest refusal coming despite his conditional release having been approved by the Yazd Central Prison and the city's prosecutor. The denial by the IRGC comes despite 'the approval of Zamani's request by the Classification Council of Yazd Central Prison and the city's prosecutor.' He was arrested on July 1, 2008, by Iranian intelligence forces over charges of alleged membership in the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK). PJAK was established in 2003 and is considered the Iranian wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), but claims its links are only ideological. After its establishment in the Qandil Mountains - an area on the Kurdistan Region's border with Iran where the PKK is also headquartered - PJAK expanded its operations into the Kurdish areas of western Iran, recruiting hundreds of young men and fighting bloody battles with the IRGC. Zamani was sentenced by the Urmia Revolutionary Court to amputation of his left hand and right foot on charges of moharebeh, or enmity against God. Following an appeal, he was sentenced to 30 years in Yazd Central Prison, according to Hengaw. He has been denied furlough since then. Hengaw also reported that he has been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture during his imprisonment. Kurds and other ethnic minorities in Iran face systemic discrimination and disproportionately high rates of death sentences and executions, often on charges related to political activities such as baghi (armed rebellion) or moharebeh (enmity against God). Amnesty International's annual report, published in March, highlighted a sharp rise in executions in Iran in 2024, placing the country among the top three executioners globally. Iran, alongside Iraq and Saudi Arabia, accounted for 91 percent of all known executions worldwide. The report also censured Iranian authorities over their continued weaponization of the death penalty against dissidents, including those who participated in the Jin Jiyan Azadi (Women Life Freedom) protests and especially the minorities. In mid-September 2022, 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa (Zhina) Amini died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating Iran's compulsory hijab law. Her death sparked nationwide protests in Iran, the longest protest movement the country had seen in four decades.
