Death Sentence of Political Prisoner Hamid Hosseinnezhad Upheld by Supreme Court

HRANA News Agency – The death sentence of Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heydaranlou, a political prisoner held in Urmia Prison, has been upheld by the Supreme Court of Iran. He had previously been sentenced to death by the Urmia Revolutionary Court on the charge of baghi (armed rebellion).

According to HRANA, quoting Kurdpa, the Supreme Court’s Branch 9 confirmed the death sentence, which was officially communicated to him on March 26, 2025, in Urmia Prison.

Mr. Hosseinnezhad was sentenced to death in July 2024 by Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Najafzadeh. He was convicted of baghi for alleged membership in an opposition party. After he appealed the ruling, the case was referred to the Supreme Court.

He was arrested on April 13, 2023, by border guards near Chaldoran. After several hours of interrogation, he was transferred to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Urmia. There, he was subjected to psychological and physical torture for 11 months and 10 days to force a confession. He was made to sign pre-written statements.

During his detention at The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility, he was only allowed two brief phone calls with his family and was denied access to legal counsel and in-person visits. Due to opposition from the Ministry of Intelligence, he was also denied a chosen lawyer during trial. The court dismissed his defense and sentenced him to death for baghi.

In court, Mr. Hosseinnezhad denied all charges. Kurdpa reported that the Ministry of Intelligence accused him of collaborating with an opposition party without presenting any evidence. The agency claimed he held a grudge against border forces because his brother-in-law, Mostafa Nouri, had been killed by them in 2015. Based on this, he was accused of involvement in an armed clash. Judge Najafzadeh issued the death sentence in a brief hearing, solely based on “the judge’s intuition.”

Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heydaranlou, aged around 40, is a father of three. He is currently being held in Ward 2 of Urmia Prison.

Supreme Court Rejects Retrial Request for Death Row Political Prisoner Hatem Ozdemir

HRANA News Agency – The Supreme Court of Iran has rejected the retrial request of Hatem Ozdemir, a political prisoner on death row who is currently held in Urmia Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, on Thursday, March 13, the Supreme Court informed Ozdemir’s defense attorney that his request for a retrial had been denied.

Ozdemir’s death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in September 2024.

In late winter 2021, Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Khoy initially sentenced Ozdemir, a Turkish citizen, to death on charges of “armed rebellion” (Baghi). This verdict was delivered to him on March 15 of that year. However, the Supreme Court later overturned the ruling, sending the case back for a retrial in a parallel court.

Following a re-examination of the case and a new hearing, the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, presided over by Judge Najafzadeh, reaffirmed the death sentence in late May, again on charges of “enmity against God.”

Ozdemir was first arrested by security forces in Maku in the early summer of 2019. After two months, he was transferred to the political ward of Urmia Prison. On September 18 of the same year, he was moved to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Urmia and, shortly afterward, returned to Urmia Central Prison.

Hatem Ozdemir’s Death Sentence Upheld by the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Hatem Ozdemir, a Turkish citizen currently imprisoned in Urmia. In late May of this year, Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia sentenced Mr. Ozdemir to death on charges of “enmity against God” (Moharebeh).

According to HRANA, the Supreme Court recently confirmed Mr. Ozdemir’s death sentence, and this decision has been communicated to his defense attorney.

In late winter 2021, Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Khoy initially sentenced Ozdemir to death on charges of “armed rebellion” (Baghi). This verdict was delivered to him on March 15 of that year. However, the Supreme Court later overturned the ruling, sending the case back for a retrial in a parallel court.

Following a re-examination of the case and a new hearing, the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, presided over by Judge Najafzadeh, reaffirmed the death sentence in late May, again on charges of “enmity against God.”

Ozdemir was first arrested by security forces in Maku in the early summer of 2019. After two months, he was transferred to the political ward of Urmia Prison. On September 18 of the same year, he was moved to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Urmia and, shortly afterward, returned to Urmia Central Prison.

Turkish National Hatem Ozdemir Receives Death Sentence in Retrial

The Revolutionary Court in Urmia has once again sentenced Turkish national Hatem Ozdemir to death for “enmity against God (Moharebeh)” after his initial death sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court.

The verdict was delivered by Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court and communicated to Ozdemir on May 19, 2024, who is currently detained in Urmia Prison.

Ozdemir was arrested by security forces in early summer 2019 in Maku City. After two months of interrogation in a detention center, he was transferred to Urmia Prison. He was briefly moved to another detention center on September 19, 2019, before being returned to Urmia Prison.

Originally in March 2022, the Revolutionary Court in Khoy, under Judge Najafzadeh, convicted Ozdemir of “armed rebellion (Baghi).” However, this sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court, leading to a retrial in a different branch.