08 July 2025 :
July 7, 2025 - IRAN. 5 kurdish political prisoners sentenced to death
Pejman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi, Ali (Souran) Ghasemi, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri and Teifour Salimi Babamiri (Tayfur Salimi Babamiri)
Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court has sentenced five Kurdish political prisoners arrested in relation to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” nationwide protests. Pejman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi, Ali (Souran) Ghasemi, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri and Teifour Salimi Babamiri have received a total of 12 death sentences from the Revolutionary Court, with Pejman also being sentenced for murder.
Iran Human Rights condemns the five protesters’ death sentences in the strongest terms and considers it a tool of creating societal fear.
IHR Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “These unjust sentences, which were issued based on confessions obtained under torture, must prompt an immediate and strong reaction from the international community. Otherwise, we will witness more death sentences and executions of protesters and political prisoners in the near future.”
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, lawyers representing Pejman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi, Ali (Souran) Ghasemi, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri and Teifour Salimi Babamiri received notification of their death sentences on 7 July 2025.
The five Kurdish protesters were arrested in relation to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” nationwide protests in 2022 and tried in a case of 14 defendants.
Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, presided by Judge Reza Najafzadeh, sentenced Pejman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi and Ali Ghassemi to three death sentences on charges of baghy (armed rebellion), moharebeh (enmity against god) and leadership and formation of a baghy group called “Association of Rebels” in support of Komala and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK).
Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri received two death sentences on charges of baghy through leadership and formation of a baghy group called “Association of Rebels” in support of Komala and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK). Teifour Salimi Babamiri who was previously released on bail, was sentenced to death on charges of baghy through leadership and formation of a baghy group called “Association of Rebels” and “Shamaran” in support of Komala and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK).
The remaining nine defendants received prison terms and fines. Pejman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri and Ali Ghasemi were tried for the murder of an IRGC-affiliated individual at the Criminal Court. Branch 1 of the Western Azerbaijan juvenile criminal court sentenced Pejman Soltani to death for the murder as the first defendant in the case. Rezgar received 15 years’ imprisonment, Ali was sentenced to 10 years and a day, and Kaveh was exonerated.
In a separate case, the five protesters were also each sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment and a fine of nearly 400 million tomans (approx. €4000 today), on charges of “collaborating with Israel through carrying out intelligence missions for Mossad, smuggling 120 Starlink satellite devices, and assembly and collusion with the intent to act against national security.”
All five protesters in this case were tortured to extract confessions that were used as the basis of their sentences. In a letter from prison previously published by IHR, Rezgar described the physical and psychological torture he was subjected to, the legal complaint he had filed for the torture and the 14 defendants’ testimony in court of the torture. The torture-tainted confessions of some of the defendants were aired by state media in July 2024.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/7722/
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/07/article-30
