TEHRAN, Iran – Four Kurdish political prisoners in Iran have been sentenced to death by a Tehran court on charges of collaboration with Israel. The Norwegian-based human rights group Hengaw has expressed concern for the lives of the prisoners, citing imminent danger due to political decisions made by the government.
The organization reported that the sentences had already been upheld by a higher court and raised concerns about the potential exploitation of these cases for political propaganda amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The prisoners, members of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, were accused by Iranian state media of attempting to commit an explosion at the Isfahan industrial complex in July 2022.
The Komala Party has disputed the claims, calling them groundless and accusing the Iranian government of using the scenario to suppress more people and protesters. The families of the Kurdish detainees have received no information about their fate and whereabouts since their detention and have not been able to meet or speak with their loved ones.
Hengaw warns of the imminent risk of execution of these prisoners, emphasizing that they have been held in security facilities for almost eighteen months and subjected to physical and mental torture without access to the minimum rights of political defendants. The Iranian government institutions have also allegedly pressured the families of the detainees, with reports of interrogation and torture of family members by Iranian intelligence.
The situation has raised deep concerns among human rights groups, as the prisoners’ lives hang in the balance amid the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel. The families continue to seek information and justice for their loved ones, as the international community closely monitors the developments in this case.