31 March 2025 :
March 26, 2025 - IRAN. Death Sentence of Political Prisoner Hamid Hosseinnezhad (Hamid Hosseinnejad Heydaranlou, Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heydaranlou) Upheld by Supreme Court
The death sentence of Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heydaranlou, a Kurdish 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) for allegedly being a member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
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 (PKK) 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.
