In its monthly reports, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) highlights cases of human rights violations in Kurdistan and violations of the rights of Kurdish civilians in different regions and cities across Iran.

KHRN released a new report including all cases recorded and reported by KHRN from across Iran through its own sources and verification mechanisms from 1 May to 31 May.

Accordingly, the restrictive environment for independent human rights organisations in Iran, coupled with the pressures faced by individuals subjected to human rights violations and their families, make it difficult to publish accurate and comprehensive reports.

Executions

According to KHRN’s findings, Iran executed at least 25 prisoners in May; two on charges of “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel arz), 18 on drug-related charges and five for “premeditated murder”.

Kurdish prisoners of conscience Anvar Khezri and Khosrow Besharat were the two prisoners executed on charges of “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel arz) in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province, after 14 years in prison.

The executions took place in prisons in Orumiyeh, Kermanshah, Karaj, Esfahan, Ilam, Shiraz, Salmas, and Miandoab.

*Explanation: The KHRN, recognizing the fundamental right to life, publishes and records news and execution statistics without regard to the ethnic background of individuals and the location of the execution. All cases reported to the organisation by credible sources are published after thorough fact-checking.

Femicide

In May, two women were killed by their husbands in Sanandaj and Eyvan-e Gharb.

Shaheen Goyli was set on fire by her husband and died of her injuries on 1 May. Her husband later committed suicide.

Arezou Hassani was stabbed to death by her husband on 19 May over an alleged “family dispute”.

Kolbars and tradesmen

During this period, at least six kolbars were shot dead by Iranian border guards and seven kolbars, including a 17-year-old boy, were injured.

Of the injured, four were beaten by Iranian border guards and three were shot by the border forces.

Civilian killings

In May, at least five Kurdish civilians were killed by Turkish military drones and Iranian forces.

On 1 May, Kurdish civilians Rasoul Younesi and Ahmad Heidari were killed in a Turkish military drone strike along the border between Oshnavieh and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq while collecting spring herbs.

Civilians Mohammad Ghaderi and Moein Tofighpour were shot dead by Iranian border guards on 7 and 14 May, respectively.

Additionally, on 26 May, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a vehicle and killed an individual identified as Azhvan Kiyani. Following the incident, a group called Alay Sour issued a statement claiming that Kiyani was a member of their group and was killed during clashes with the IRGC.

Landmine explosions

In the past month, landmine explosions killed one civilian and injured three others.

Detentions and arrests

Throughout May, Iranian forces arrested at least 63 individuals, including a child, activists, imams, artists, and a former political prisoner.

At least two of the detained civilians were sent to prisons in Sanandaj and Naqadeh to serve prison sentences.

Sentences

In the past month, Iranian courts have sentenced at least nine people to punishments ranging from two years to 21 years in prison.

Among the convicted was journalist and women’s rights activist Zhina Modares Gorji, who was sentenced to a total of 21 years of exile imprisonment in Hamadan by Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj.

Dismissal of Kurdish teachers

Somayyeh Akhtar-Shomar and Saman Kousheshi, two Kurdish teachers from Marivan, were dismissed over alleged anti-state activities in May.