Kurdistan: imminent Risk of Execution of a Kurdish political prisoner within the next 48 Hours

Today, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu, a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to death, was transferred to solitary confinement in Wirmê (Urumia) Prison, where his execution is scheduled to take place within the next 48 hours without the final visit with his family.

According announcement made public the execution has been set for the morning of Friday, April 18, 2025, without the final visit with his family.

According to an informed source close to Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva, the order of this execution comes despite the fact that the family of this political prisoner has not been formally informed of the timing of the execution. Furthermore, the legal opportunity to file for an appeal and mitigation has effectively been denied, the death sentence was announced and delivered to him on March, 25, 2025 after being upheld by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court, and was subsequently communicated to his lawyers on April 8, 2025, the lawyers had only 7 days to submit requests for retrial or mitigation, an opportunity that has been effectively voided by the judiciary of the Islamic republic of Iran.

Details of the death sentence verdict:

On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu, political prisoner on death row, was transferred from the general ward of Wirmê (Urumia) Prison to solitary confinement. This transfer was executed at the direction of Branch 9 of the Criminal Execution Court in Wirmê (Urumia) on the same day.

According to documented information, the timestamp for this order in the judicial system was 15:44 in the afternoon, with the first observation recorded at 16:00 on the same day. The order explicitly states that the execution of Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu, son of Mohammad, is scheduled for Friday, April 18, 2025.

As of the time of this report, no official communication has been made to his family regarding the transfer or the imminent execution, leaving the family in complete blind sight regarding the exact timing of the execution and the opportunity for a final visit.

Clear Violation of Legal Proceedings and Rights:

The case of Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu has been marked from the outset by significant violations of fair trial principles, the depriving of fundamental rights of the accused, and disregard for evidence of innocence:

- This Kurdish political prisoner was arrested on April 13, 2023, in the Chaldoran borders, while official documents, including entry and exit stamps from his passports and the signal logs from his mobile phone, indicate that he was in Turkey with his family on the same day, far from the site of the conflict. Despite the submission of these documents, neither the primary court nor the Supreme Court acknowledged these evidence.

- Following his arrest, Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu was held in solitary confinement at the Intelligence Detention Center in Urmia for 11 months and 10 days, during which he was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture. His family has reported that he was forced to make coerced confessions, despite being illiterate and unable to defend himself.

- During his 11 months and 10 days in solitary confinement, he was denied the right to visit or contact his family, as well as access to legal representation.

- After the death sentence was issued in the primary court, his lawyers filed an appeal in August 2024, However, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence, and on the 25th of March 2025, it was formally communicated to Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu in Urmia Prison, with a subsequent official communication to his lawyers on April 8th, 2025.

- Nonetheless, just 7 days after the Supreme Court confirming the death sentence to the lawyers, and without sufficient time to submit requests for retrial or mitigation, the execution order was issued on April 16, and the execution date was set for the morning of April 18. This action effectively stripped the lawyers and the defendant of the right to defense and legal recourse.

- Furthermore, the family has not been officially informed of the time of the execution and have not been given the chance for a final visit. According to the law, such notification is a fundamental right for the families of those on death row.

Explanation of the process and Evidence proven of Innocence:

Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu, a Kurdish political prisoner from the village of “Segrik” in Chaldoran, has been sentenced to death by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic on charges of insurrection ("baghy" ) for connections with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and "participating in an armed conflict in 2017 that resulted in the deaths of 8 border guard personnel."

However, his family and lawyers have declared these charges baseless and incorrect based on official documents. According to available evidence:

- On the day of the conflict, Hamid Hosseini-Nejad entered Turkey with his family at 11 AM and returned to Iran at 4 PM on the same day.

- The exact location of the armed conflict is kilometers away from his travel route, and it does not align with the time and place of Hamid's presence.

- In addition to the stamps recorded in his passport, the signal logs from his mobile phone also indicate that he was within Turkey during those hours.

This information clearly demonstrates that he was not present in Iran at the time and location of the conflict and could not have participated in it. Despite these documents, none of the judicial authorities have undertaken a thorough examination of this evidence. The court sentenced him to death based solely on coercive confessions obtained under torture, without referencing objective evidence.

Legal Appeal and justice seeking Children and the Mother of Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu:

The family of Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu, including his daughter and mother, has recently submitted documentation such as entry and exit stamps in passports, mobile phone signal logs, and exact border crossing times on the day of the conflict, to contest the baseless of the allegations and the absence of the accused at the scene of the incident.

His daughter, Ronahi Hosseini-Nejad, in a public statements referencing the evidences above, has called for the the execution to be stopped and requesting a retrial. Additionally, his mother, has emphasized that her son was out of country at the time of the conflict and was coerced into confessing while under torture and deprived of legal representation. She has requested the repeal of the execution order and a legal review of the case.

They have also raised concerns regarding the torture during solitary confinement for extracting coerced confessions, the denial of legal representation, and depriving of the opportunity for retrial, requesting an urgent review of the case and immediate suspension of the execution.

Confirmation of the Death Sentence by the Supreme Court:

Based on information obtained from informed sources, Branch 9 of the Supreme Court has confirmed the death sentence issued against Hamid Hosseini-Nejad Heydranlu, a resident of the village of "Segrik" in Chaldoran. This sentence was officially communicated to him in Urmia Central Prison on April 16, 2025.