Kurdistan/Iran; Three Kurdish political prisoners with a long term sentences exiled to midland prisons

On Sunday, May 4, 2025, three Kurdish political prisoners from Abdanan, Vahid Chawaran, Nasser Rezaei, and Mohammad Hossein Haseli, who had each been sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in exile due to their involvement in the “Jin, Jian, Azadi” movement, were transferred from the Central Prison in Ilam to Zahedan, Kerman, and Mashhad central prisons.

These three Kurdish political prisoners were arbitrarily arrested between June and August 2023 without any judicial orders. They had been held at the Central Prison in Ilam for over eight months from their time of arrest until their transfers. The 12-year sentences in exile were issued by the Ilam Criminal Court, and they previously initiated hunger strikes and stitched their lips together in protest against these unjust rulings. Since their arbitrary detention, these prisoners have remained incarcerated.

The Ilam Criminal Court charged the three political prisoners with "disruption of public order, plotting and colluding against national security, assault with deadly weapons”.

The cases of Vahid Chawaran, Nasser Rezaei, and Mohammad Hossein Haseli exemplify a concentrated instance of systematic human rights violations in Iran. These individuals were arrested arbitrarily without judicial warrants between June and August 2023, held for over eight months in the Central Prison of Ilam, and were denied access to legal representation or fair trial proceedings. They endured physical and psychological torture, including the administration of psychotropic drugs to Chawaran, which resulted in severe behavioral disturbances.

They subsequently received 12 years sentences in exile to central prisons in Zahedan, Kerman, and Mashhad. The brutal assaults by security forces at the time of arrest, coerced confessions, deprived of medical treatment, home invasions, and exile to distant prisons, alongside their hunger strikes and lip stitches as forms of protest, are all blatant violations of fundamental human rights, including the ban of torture, the right to a fair trial, and human dignity.

Vahid Chawaran: Exile to Zahedan Prison

Vahid Chawaran, a civil activist, mountaineer, and paragliding instructor from Abdanan, was arrested on Friday, June 23, 2023, at the border in Urmia while attempting to leave the country by security forces without a judicial order. He had previously been targeted several times by security forces during raids on his home and his father’s livestock farm; in one instance, the use of tear gas resulted in physical harm to his family members, including his two pregnant sisters.

Following his arrest, Chawaran was transferred to the detention center of the IRGC in Ilam, where he endured severe physical and psychological torture. According to reliable sources, he was coerced into making forced confessions. Subsequently, his mental state deteriorated significantly, with symptoms such as involuntary laughter and speech disorders arising, reportedly due to the administration of psychotropic drugs by security forces.

In July 2023, he goes on a hunger strike in protest against the torture. In September 2023, alongside Nasser Rezaei and Mohammad Hossein Haseli, stitched their lips together and went on hunger strike. His family also initiated protest rallies outside the Abdanan governor’s office on September 18, 2023.

According to the final verdict, Vahid Chawaran was sentenced to 12 years in prison in exile and was transferred today to Zahedan Prison.

He has been detained since his initial arbitrary arrest.

Nasser Rezaei: Exile to Kerman Prison

Nasser Rezaei from Abdanan, was first arrested by security forces on May 22, 2023, and was later released on bail. However, on August 13 of the same year, he was summoned to the Dehloran District Court, where he was once again arrested and transferred to the intelligence detention center.

In September 2023, he goes on a hunger strike alongside his co-defendants and stitched his lips on September 13. Since his re-arrest, Rezaei has been deprived of access to legal counsel and phone contact with his family.

According to his final court ruling, Nasser Rezaei was sentenced to 12 years in prison in exile and was transferred today to Kerman Prison.

He has been incarcerated since his second arrest.

Mohammad Hossein Haseli: Exile to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad

Mohammad Hossein Haseli, from the Serawbagh in Abdanan county, was arrested on August 25, 2023, during a raid by a security forces on his residence, during which no judicial order was presented. The security forces destroyed housewares during the arrest and brutally assaulted Mr, Haseli and was taken into custody.

In September 2023, he joined Vahid Chawaran and Nasser Rezaei in their hunger strike and stitched his lips. Mr. Haseli, like the other defendants, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in exile on charges similar to those of the others, including moharebeh (waging war against God) and plotting against national security, and was transferred today to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.

He has been detained since his second arrest.

From right to left: Nasser Rezaei, Mohammad Hossein Haseli, Vahid Chawaran.