Tag: Urmia

Prison Sentence of Azerbaijani-Turk Activist Ata Karimi Upheld by the Supreme Court

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Ethnic Minorities, Freedom of Expression, News
Ata Karimi, Ghasem Mazinani, Urmia, عطا کریمی

HRANA – The prison sentence of Ata Karimi, an Azerbaijani-Turk activist, has been fully upheld by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court. He had previously been sentenced to two years in prison by Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court.

Following the rejection of his request for appeal by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court, presided over by Judge Ghasem Mazinani, Karimi’s two-year sentence was confirmed without modification. In August, 2024, Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court had sentenced this Azerbaijani-Turk activist to two years in prison.

Mr. Karimi was previously arrested by security forces in Urmia in June 2015 and was released about a week later.

Ata Karimi has also faced prior judicial actions due to his activism.

According to HRANA’s report, in 2024, 20 ethnic minority rights activists were sentenced to a total of 471 months (nearly 40 years) in prison. Over the past seven years, the total length of such prison sentences has reached 913 years.

Urmia Prison: Updated Report on the Detention of Iraqi National Hemin Watman

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News, Prisoners
Himan Watman, HRANA, Urmia, Urmia prison, هیمن وتمان

HRANA – Hemin Watman, an Iraqi national, is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in Urmia Prison. His sentence was issued by Branch 2 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court on charges of membership in one of the Kurdish opposition parties.

According to information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Watman, a resident of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, is being held in the ward designated for political prisoners inside Urmia Prison.

In the spring of 2024, Watman legally entered Iran from Iraq through the city of Sardasht. Shortly after his arrival, he was arrested, and a judicial case was opened against him.

Baha’i Citizen Venus Maghsoudi Arrested in Urmia

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News, Religious Minorities
Baha'i citizen, Urmia, Venus Maghsoudi, ونوس مقصودی

HRANA – Yesterday, November 11, Venus Maghsoudi, a Baha’i citizen residing in Urmia, was arrested by security forces at her home and taken to an undisclosed location. During the arrest, the agents searched the residence and confiscated some of her personal belongings as well as the mobile phones of her guests.

According to a source close to Maghsoudi’s family confirmed the arrest, stating: “This morning, several officers from the Urmia Intelligence Department entered Ms. Maghsoudi’s home and arrested her using violence.”

HRANA has learned that, in addition to searching her residence, the officers also searched the home of Ms. Maghsoudi’s mother, who lives downstairs and is currently ill and under medical treatment.

There is still no information about the charges against Ms. Maghsoudi or her current whereabouts.

Venus Maghsoudi, a Baha’i citizen living in Urmia, is the mother of two children, aged three and eleven.

Over the past decade, the Iranian Bahá’í community has been disproportionately targeted by Iran’s security forces and judiciary, more than any other minority group. In the past three years, an average of 72 percent of the reports on religious rights violations collected by HRANA have documented the Iranian regime’s repression of the Bahá’í community.

Urmia: Baha’i Citizen Zhinus Mohammad-Nezhad Arrested

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News, Religious Minorities
Baha'i citizen, HRANA, Urmia, Zhinus Mohammad-Nezhad, ژینوس محمد نژاد

HRANA – On Tuesday, October 14, Zhinus Mohammad-Nezhad, a Baha’i citizen residing in Urmia, was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and transferred to an undisclosed location. At the same time, her home and her parents’ residence were searched by the agents.

Based on information obtained by HRANA, her arrest took place on Tuesday, October 14, at her home on in Urmia, when Ministry of Intelligence agents detained her. Simultaneously, both her home and her elderly parents’ nearby residence were searched. During the searches, several personal belongings of the Mohammad-Nezhad family were confiscated.

So far, no information has been made available regarding the reasons for her arrest, her place of detention, or the charges brought against this Baha’i citizen.

Over the past decade, the Iranian Bahá’í community has been disproportionately targeted by Iran’s security forces and judiciary, more than any other minority group. In the past three years, an average of 72 percent of the reports on religious rights violations collected by HRANA have documented the Iranian regime’s repression of the Bahá’í community.

Supreme Court Annuls Death Sentence of Shahin Vasaf; Retrial Results in 10-Year Term

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, Salmas, Shahin Vasaf, Urmia, Urmia prison, شاهین وصاف

HRANA – Following the annulment of political prisoner Shahin Vasaf’s death sentence by the Supreme Court and the referral of his case to a parallel branch, he has now been sentenced to 10 years in prison by Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court.

According to information obtained by HRANA, the Supreme Court had previously overturned Mr. Vasaf’s death sentence. In August of this year, his retrial was held before Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court as the designated parallel branch. Two days ago, the court issued its verdict, sentencing him to 10 years in prison.

Mr. Vasaf was first arrested by security forces in September 2022. Following his interrogation at The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Urmia, he was transferred to Urmia Prison.

In late 2023, Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court had sentenced him to death on the charge of “espionage for Israel.”

Shahin Vasaf, 29, is a native of Salmas and a resident of Urmia.

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Seven Prisoners Executed in Tabriz Prison

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Executions, News
Babak Omarzadeh, Hooshang Henareh, Keyvan Mamedi, Najib Azarm, Tabriz Prison, Tofigh Nemati, Urmia

HRANA – On Sunday, September 7, the death sentences of seven prisoners convicted in separate cases on drug-related charges were carried out in Tabriz Prison.

HRANA has confirmed the identities of five of the executed prisoners as Tofigh Nemati, Hooshang Henareh, Babak Omarzadeh, Keyvan Mamedi, and Najib Azarm. The Iran Human Rights has reported the identities of the other two as Sadegh Bahmani and Mojtaba Salemi.

Details available include: Tofigh Nemati, from Bardizi village near Urmia; Hooshang Henareh, from Khalian village near Urmia; Babak Omarzadeh, 45, from Gonbad village near Urmia; and Keyvan Mamedi, 43, from Derik village in Salmas. Najib Azarm was identified as the son of Haj Ali Kalankani. According to Iran Human Rights, both Bahmani and Salemi were residents of Tabriz.

The prisoners had been arrested in separate cases on charges related to drug offenses and were subsequently sentenced to death by Revolutionary Courts.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and other relevant institutions have not publicly announced these executions.

According to HRANA’s report, in 2024, over 52 percent of executed prisoners had been convicted on drug-related charges. Over the past ten years, individuals convicted of drug trafficking have accounted for 40 percent of all executions. Unfortunately, HRANA’s statistics show no progress in reducing executions for drug-related offenses.

Baha’i Citizen Keyhan Maghsoudi Held in Incommunicado Detention After Over Two Months

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News, Religious Minorities
Keyhan Maghsoudi, Keyhan Maqsoudi, Urmia, کیهان مقصودی

HRANA – Keyhan Maghsoudi, a Baha’i citizen from Urmia, was arrested by security forces in June 2025. After undergoing interrogation, he was transferred to Urmia Prison. In recent days, however, he has once again been moved to a security detention facility.

On Friday, June 20, 2025, amid the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, Maghsoudi was arrested by security forces at his workplace. He was initially taken to a security detention center in Urmia and, after a period of interrogation, transferred to Urmia Prison. Recently, he was returned from the prison to an undisclosed security facility, leaving his family with no information about his condition or whereabouts.

Speaking to HRANA, his sister, Mahsa Maghsoudi, confirmed the developments, stating: “We still have no information about the status of my brother’s case or the charges against him. Throughout this time, Keyhan has been held without access to an independent lawyer, which raises serious concerns about the possibility of forced confessions under pressure or torture. Such confessions have no legal or human validity.”

She added: “So far, no official information has been provided about the judicial process, and our concerns about the future of his case and the likelihood of a fair trial are growing day by day.”

Keyhan Maghsoudi, 49, is single and works as a photographer and videographer in Urmia.

Appeals Court Increases Prison Sentence of Hamid Chapati

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Freedom of Expression, News
Hamid Chapati, Urmia, West Azerbaijan, حمید چپاتی

HRANA – The prison sentence of Hamid Chapati, a resident of Urmia, has been increased to six months by Branch 23 of the West Azerbaijan Province Court of Appeals. He had previously been sentenced to three months in prison by a lower court.

According to Kurdpa, the ruling was issued by Branch 23 of the West Azerbaijan Court of Appeals and formally communicated to Mr. Chapati on Tuesday, August 19. Under this verdict, he has been sentenced to six months in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

The increased sentence came after an appeal filed by Behzad Sarikhanlou, the deputy prosecutor of Urmia, against the lower court’s decision, which resulted in the case being referred to the Court of Appeals.

In February 2025, Branch 2 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court had sentenced Mr. Chapati to three months in prison on the same charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

Mr. Chapati was initially arrested on October 16, 2024, after being summoned by phone to the Urmia Security Police. He was later released on bail following the formal presentation of charges.

Widespread Arrests: 13 Citizens Detained Across Four Cities in Iran

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Freedom of Expression, News, Other
and Rudsar, Astara, Bakhtiar Azizi, irgc, Jalaleddin Javanmardi, Mahabad, Rudsar, Urmia

HRANA News Agency – In recent days, security and law enforcement forces have arrested 13 citizens in the cities of Astara, Urmia, Mahabad, and Rudsar, with some transferred to undisclosed locations.

According to Mehr News Agency, Jalaleddin Javanmardi, the police chief of Rudsar, announced today the arrest of five individuals in the city. He stated that the arrests were made over allegations of “collaborating with Israel on social media,” “insulting religious sanctities,” and “disturbing public opinion.”

Javanmardi, detailing the case, said that the police acted in response to online posts insulting religious sanctities and deceased IRGC commanders, sharing pro-Israel clips, and publishing offensive content against Iranian officials.

He added that the detainees include a 52-year-old woman and four men aged 31, 39, 40, and 41, who were arrested in Rahimabad, Kelachay, and the central district of Rudsar County. All were transferred to a police station and referred to the judiciary after case files were opened.

ILNA also reported the arrest of four citizens in Astara, quoting the city’s police chief, Morteza Ahadi. Ahadi said the arrests took place on Friday, June 27, on charges such as “espionage” and “propaganda against the regime.”

He added that the detainees, two men and two women from western provinces, were arrested along with digital evidence. Their phones allegedly contained photos and videos from Astara and other cities, which were reportedly sent to opposition networks. They had also applied for asylum in European countries.

On June 25, 2025, security forces arrested a citizen in Urmia. Kurdpa identified the individual as Alireza Khaledi, 22, a resident of Hasanabad village in the Sumay Baradost region. Security agents reportedly detained Mr. Khaledi without presenting a judicial warrant and transferred him to an undisclosed location.

Reports also indicate that on June 24, another citizen was arrested in Urmia by security forces. Kolbar News identified him as Bakhtiar Azizi, a resident of the Dizaj area. According to the report, security agents also arrested him without a court order. On the same day, two more individuals—Afshin Azizi and Kako Azizi—were also detained in Urmia.

Kolbar News further reported the arrests of two additional citizens about ten days ago. Authorities transferred both to an undisclosed location. They were identified as Hazhar Asadpour, 27, an employee of the Red Crescent, and Keyvan Ashtab, 29, an emergency medical technician at Mahabad Hospital.

As of now, there is no information regarding the whereabouts or charges against these individuals.

Two Women and One Man Arrested by Security Forces in Urmia

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Freedom of Expression, News, Other
Jalal Farrokhi, Ra'na Khoran, Rozhan Khoran, Urmia

HRANA News Agency – On the evening of Monday, May 26, 2025, Ra’na Khoran and Rozhan Khoran, two sisters, along with their uncle, Jalal Farrokhi, were arrested by security forces in Urmia and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to Kolbar News, the arrests were carried out by security forces without presenting a judicial warrant, at their private residence in Urmia.

As of the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding their whereabouts, the reasons for their arrest, or the charges against them.

Rana Khoran, Rozhan Khoran, and Jalal Farrokhi had previously been summoned and detained in April of this year for participating in Nowruz celebrations in Urmia.