Tag: Azerbaijani Turk activists

Three Azerbaijani-Turk Activists Sentenced to Prison by Tabriz Revolutionary Court

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Ethnic Minorities, Freedom of Expression, News
Amin Taghizadeh, Azerbaijani Turk activists, Reza Salimi, Samad Heydari, Tabriz

HRANA – Amin Taghizadeh, Samad Heydari, and Reza Salimi, three Azerbaijani-Turk activists, have been sentenced by Branch Two of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court to a total of 12 years and 9 months of discretionary imprisonment.

Based on the ruling issued by Branch Two of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Reza Abdi, Amin Taghizadeh, Samad Heydari, and Reza Salimi were each sentenced to three years and seven months in prison on the charge of “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security,” and an additional eight months in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

Samad Heydari and Reza Salimi had also been arrested earlier, in February 2025, in Tabriz and transferred to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in the city. Both were ultimately released from Tabriz Prison on February 6, 2025, after posting bail.

In March 2025, the three citizens were summoned to Branch 10 of the Tabriz Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office after receiving official notices. On March 1, 2025, Amin Taghizadeh was arrested after appearing at the branch and was later released after posting bail.

The court session addressing the charges against Mr. Heydari was held on April 13, 2025.

These Azerbaijani-Turk activists have previously faced judicial confrontations due to their activities.

Prison Sentences for Three Azerbaijani-Turk Activists Upheld by the Supreme Court

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Freedom of Expression, News
Araz Aman Zeinabad, Ayaz Seifkhah, Azerbaijani Turk activists, Bagher Hajizadeh

HRANA – The prison sentences of Azerbaijani-Turk activists Ayaz Seifkhah, Araz Aman Zeinabad, and Baqer Hajizadeh Mazraeh have been upheld by the Supreme Court. The three had previously been sentenced by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to a combined total of 40 years in prison.

According to HRANA, the sentences were confirmed by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, presided over by Judge Kuhkamari. Based on the ruling of the country’s highest judicial authority, Ayaz Seifkhah was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Araz Aman and Baqer Hajizadeh were each sentenced to 13 years in prison.

The prison terms issued against these three political defendants were previously upheld in January 2024 by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals.

The three were tried in October 2024 by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati. According to the verdict, Ayaz Seifkhah was sentenced to nine years in prison for espionage and five years for “assembly and collusion against national security.” Araz Aman and Bagher Hajizadeh were each sentenced to eight years for espionage and five years for “assembly and collusion against national security.”

In addition, all three were sentenced to two years of deprivation from membership in political parties, media activity, and social media presence, as well as a two-year travel ban as complementary punishments.

Hearings on their cases, along with several other political defendants, were previously held at the same court, during which they defended themselves against the charges.

All these Azerbaijani-Turk activists were arrested in February 2024 by security forces and later transferred to Evin Prison.

Azerbaijani-Turk Activists Kazem Safabakhsh and Saman Bidar Arrested in Qazvin

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Ethnic Minorities, News
Azerbaijani Turk activists, irgc, IRGC Intelligence, Kazem Safabakhsh, Saman Bidar, Tabriz Prison

HRANA News Agency –On Friday, May 2, Azerbaijani-Turk activists Kazem Safabakhsh and Saman Bidar were arrested in Qazvin and transferred to the city’s prison.

A source close to the families confirmed the arrests and told HRANA, “The two were detained by IRGC Intelligence agents in connection with their support for the Tractor football team during a recent match. Following their arrest, both Safabakhsh and Bidar were transferred to Qazvin Prison.”

Saman Bidar had previously been released on bail from Tabriz Prison on March 13, 2025, after being arrested by IRGC Intelligence agents on March 1 of the same year.

Both activists have a history of prior arrests and convictions related to their activism.

In 2024, HRANA reported the arrest of 262 ethnic activists. Although the specific charges and reasons for these arrests remain unclear in many cases, given the security agencies’ longstanding pattern of conduct, it is believed that most were detained due to their advocacy for ethnic rights. At least 109 of these arrests were carried out without a warrant.

Interrogation Sessions Held for 12 Azerbaijani-Turk Activists at Tabriz Prosecutor’s Office

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Freedom of Expression, News
Ali Babaei, Amirhossein Aghaei, Araz Ebrahim-Nejad, Azerbaijani Turk activists, Davoud Shiri, Ebrahim Avaz-Zadeh, Hamed Yeganehpour, Hossein Azadi, Javad Soodbar, Mehrdad Ghaderi, Mohammadreza Movahed, Morteza Nourmohammadi, Tabriz, Yoroush Mehrali Beiglou

HRANA News Agency – Interrogation sessions for 12 Azerbaijani-Turk activists, were held at Branch 15 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Tabriz.

According to HRANA, the interrogation sessions, related to a joint case involving the 12 individuals, took place separately from January 11 to January 22, 2025. These activists are: Yoroush Mehrali Beiglou, Araz Ebrahim Nejad, Davoud Shiri, Mehrdad Ghaderi, Hamed Yeganehpour, Mohammadreza Movahed, Amirhossein Aghaei, Ali Babaei, Javad Soodbar, Morteza Nourmohammadi, Hossein Azadi, and Ebrahim Ava-Zadeh

During these sessions, the defendants defended themselves against charges of “membership in an illegal group with the intent to oppose the regime” and “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security.” Additionally, Yoroush Mehrali Beiglou faced the separate charge of “forming a group with the intent to oppose the regime.”

Although Naser Razmjoo, one of the accused in the case, was named and notified of his case registration at Branch 15, he has not yet been summoned. The other activists had been summoned through individual notices prior to the sessions.

Background on the Activists

  • Yoroush Mehrali Beiglou was arrested in November 2023 in Jolfa and transferred to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Tabriz. In February 2024, he was transferred to Tabriz Prison and later released on bail. He has a history of prior arrests and convictions related to his activism.
  • Mohammadreza Movahed, Araz Ebrahim Nejad, and Davoud Shiri were arrested in September 2023 and transferred to Tabriz Prison. They were released on bail in December 2023. Both Shiri and Movahed have previously faced judicial actions due to their activism.
  • Mehrdad Ghaderi was arrested in September 2023 by security forces in Tabriz and released on bail in November 2023.
  • Morteza Nourmohammadi Nadarli (Nazarlo) was arrested in September 2023 and transferred to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Tabriz. He was later moved to Tabriz Prison but then returned to the same detention facility. In early November 2023, he was charged with “assembly and collusion to act against national security” in Shabestar Prosecutor’s Office and later faced new charges of “membership in a group to act against national security.” He was released on bail in November 2023.
  • Hamed Yeganehpour, a resident of Maragheh, was arrested in November 2023 by security forces in Tabriz and released from detention in November 28, 2023.
  • Amir-Hossein Aghaei was arrested in September 2023 in Baghmisheh, Tabriz, and released on bail in December 2023.
  • Ali Babaei and Javad Soodbar were arrested in September 2023 in Tabriz and released on bail in December 2023.
  • Hossein Azadi was arrested in September 2023 in Baghmisheh, Tabriz, and released on bail in November 2023.
  • Ebrahim Avaz-Zadeh was arrested in October 2023 in Tehran and released on bail in late-November 2023.
  • Naser Razmjoo was arrested in October 2023 in Tabriz and released on bail in late-November 2023.

This case highlights the ongoing judicial and security pressures faced by Azerbaijani-Turk activists in Iran.

Azerbaijani-Turk Activists Saeed Minaei and Aydin Mohammadi Sentenced to Prison

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Ethnic Minorities, News
Aydin Mohammadi, Azerbaijani Turk activists, Bonab, Evin Prison, Saeed Minaei

Azerbaijani-Turk activists Saeed Minaei and Aydin Mohammadi have been sentenced to a total of eight years in prison by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

According to HRANA, Judge Salavati of Branch 15 recently issued the verdict, which was communicated to the activists through their attorney. Minaei received a five-year prison sentence on the charge of “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security.” Mohammadi was sentenced to three years on similar charges, including “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security” and “propaganda against the regime.” The final court hearing in their case took place on September 8, 2023.

Saeed Minaei (Minaie) was detained on February 5, 2024, after visiting the Ministry of Intelligence office in Bonab. He was initially held in a Tabriz detention center before being transferred to solitary confinement in Evin Prison’s Ward 240, managed by the Ministry of Intelligence. Sixteen days later, he was moved to Ward 209, another intelligence-run facility within Evin Prison, and was released on bail on March 13, 2024.

Aydin Mohammadi was also arrested on February 5, 2024, when security forces detained him at his workplace in Ardabil. He was subsequently transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Evin Prison and released on bail in March 2024.

Minaei, a law student at University of Qom, has a history of previous legal encounters related to his activism.

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Four Azerbaijani-Turk Activists Sentenced to Prison

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News
Ali Azizi, Ata Karimi, Azerbaijani Turk activists, Gholam Gholizadeh, HRANA, Sina Hassani, Urmia

Ata Karimi, Gholam Gholizadeh, Sina Hassani, and Ali Azizi, Azerbaijani-Turk activists, have each been sentenced to two years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Urmia.

Based on a verdict issued by Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court and delivered to these activists on Wednesday, July 31st, each of these individuals has been sentenced to two years in prison for the charge of “membership in a group aiming to disrupt national security.”

A source close to one of the families confirmed this news to HRANA, stating: “Previously, this case had been dismissed twice, but following an appeal by Mr. Khodaei, the Deputy Prosecutor, the case was reopened, and after nine years, this verdict was issued.”

In June 2015, these four citizens were arrested by security forces in Urmia in connection with this case and were released after about a week.

Gholam Gholizadeh, Ali Azizi, and Sina Hassani have faced legal actions and convictions in recent years due to their activities.

 

Four Azerbaijani-Turk Activists Detained in Tabriz

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Ethnic Minorities, News
Ali Babaie, Araz Ebrahim-Nejad, Azerbaijani Turk activists, Davoud Shiri, Javad Soodbar, Tabriz

On September 13, 2023, security forces in Tabriz apprehended four Azerbaijani-Turk activists and transported them to an undisclosed location. The detainees are Araz Ebrahim-Nejad, Javad Soodbar, Ali Babaie, and Davoud Shiri.

According to a source close to Babaie’s family, intelligence agents violently arrested Babaie at his workplace. Subsequently, they proceeded to his residence, conducted an extensive search, and confiscated some of his personal belongings.

The specific reasons for their arrests, their current whereabouts, and the charges against them remain unknown at this time. Notably, Davoud Shiri and Javad Soodbar have previously encountered legal issues and arrests related to their activism.

Azerbaijani Turk Activists Meysam and Mohammad Julani Arrested 

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Ethnic Minorities, Freedom of Expression, News
Ardabil, Asgar Akbarzadeh, Azerbaijani Turk activists, HRANA, Meysam Julani, Mohammad Julani, Saeed Sadeghifar

On September 22, security forces arrested Azerbaijani Turk activists Meysam Julani and Mohammad Julani and transferred them to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on September 22, two Turk activists Meysam Julani and Mohammad  Julani were arrested in Ardabil.

Their whereabouts and the charges against these individuals are still unknown.

HRANA has also reported the arrest of two other Azerbaijani Turk activists Asgar Akbarzadeh and Saeed Sadeghifar in Ardabil on the same day.

Azerbaijani Turk Activist Akbar Abolzadeh Arrested in Ahar

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Freedom of Expression, News
Akbar Abolzadeh, Azerbaijani Turk activists

On Tuesday, June 7, 2022, Azerbaijani Turk Activist Akbar Abolzadeh was arrested by security forces in Ahar City and transferred to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, Security forces arrested Azerbaijani Turk Activist Akbar Abolzadeh in Ahar City, East Azerbaijan Province.

The reason for this arrest, his whereabouts and the charges are unknown so far.

 

Azerbaijani Turk Activists Ayoub Shiri and Davoud Shiri Arrested in Tabriz

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Ethnic Minorities, Freedom of Expression, News
Ayoub Shiri, Azerbaijani Turk activists, Davoud Shiri, Tabriz Prison

On Thursday, May 19, 2022, security forces arrested Azerbaijani Turk activists Ayoub Shiri and Davoud Shiri and transferred them to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on Thursday, May 19, 2022, Azerbaijani Turk activists Ayoub and Davoud Shiri were arrested by security forces.

According to an informed source, one of the individuals was arrested while he was coming from a mourning ceremony and the other at his workplace.

The reasons for these arrests and the whereabouts of the individuals are still unknown.

Ayoub and Davoud Shiri have faced other arrests and convictions on prior occasions. On August 23, 2021, they were released from Tabriz Prison after serving their sentences. To be released, however, they had to be bailed out with 100 million tomans for the new legal case opened against them while they were jailed. For this new case, on June 26, 2021, they were indicted on the charges of “creating illegal groups in order to disturb national security.”