Tag: Moloud Afand

Moloud Afand Remains in Legal Limbo at Urmia Prison

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News, Prisoners
irgc, Moloud Afand, Moloud Armandpour, Urmia prison, مولود آفند

HRANA – Moloud Afand (Armandpour), a journalist and translator, has remained in legal limbo for nearly eight months since his arrest and continues to be held in Urmia Prison. His case, in which he is accused of “espionage for a hostile state,” has been referred to Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court.

According to HRANA, Moloud Afand (Armandpour), a journalist and translator, remains detained without a final judicial decision in Urmia Prison.

Based on information received by HRANA, Moloud Armandpour has been detained for more than 220 days and is currently being held in Urmia Prison. He was previously formally charged in Branch 6 of the Investigative Prosecutor’s Office of the Urmia Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office with “espionage for a hostile state.” About a week ago, following the issuance of an indictment, his case was referred to Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Doosti.

Moloud Afand (Armandpour) was arrested in November-December 2025 and transferred to the IRGC Intelligence detention facility in Urmia. After a period of interrogation, he was transferred to Tehran in February 2026. On March 3, 2026, he was transferred from The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility to Greater Tehran Penitentiary.

The political defendant remained in Greater Tehran Penitentiary until June 2026, after which he was transferred to Urmia Prison, where he has remained ever since.

A source familiar with the family’s situation confirmed the information to HRANA, stating: “Mr. Armandpour had also disappeared in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in 2012. After being transferred to Iran, he was held in Evin Prison until the autumn of 2015 without being brought to trial or receiving a sentence. He spent approximately one year and six months of that time in solitary confinement. During the prolonged period without any information about his whereabouts, his family believed he had lost his life. Ultimately, he was released from prison in the autumn of 2015 without any sentence being issued.”

Before his latest arrest, Moloud Armandpour worked as a journalist and editor-in-chief of a publication in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. “Afand” was his former surname, which he officially changed to “Armandpour” several years ago.

Moloud Afand Arrested in Miandoab

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Freedom of Expression, News, Other
Miandoab, Moloud Afand, مولود آفند

HRANA – Moloud Afand, a resident of Miandoab, was arrested by security forces at his home. Officers searched his residence and confiscated several of his digital devices.

According to Kolbar News, the individual has been identified as Moloud Afand, a resident of Hasanabad village in Miandoab County, West Azerbaijan province.

According to the report, yesterday, November 18, agents of the Urmia branch of the Ministry of Intelligence entered his home without presenting a judicial warrant. After conducting a thorough search and seizing Mr. Afand’s electronic devices, they placed him under arrest.

The report states that following his arrest, he was transferred to one of the security detention centers in Urmia.

No information is currently available regarding the reasons for his arrest or the charges brought against him.

Arbitrary arrests, transferring detainees to undisclosed locations, and leaving families in the dark about the fate of their loved ones are routine practices of the Iranian regime’s security agencies, such as the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Unit. This pattern of behavior stands in clear violation of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.