Kurdistsn/Iran; Continued arbitrary detention of former political prisoner and his wife Farzaneh Rashidi on the eighth day of custody

On Sunday, May 25, 2025, Saman Karimi, a former political prisoner previously sentenced to death and his wife, Farzaneh Rashidi, were brutally assaulted and arbitrarily detained by the Iranian security forces in Baneh. As of the eighth day since their arrest, there remains no information regarding their whereabouts or condition.

According to a source close to Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva, security agents apprehended Saman Karimi in on the street in Baneh without presenting a judicial warrant and assaulted him force during the arrest. Following this, the agents of the intelligence agency raided his family residence , conducted a search, and arrested his wife, Farzaneh Rashidi, a student at Payam Noor University in Baneh.

The same source added that security forces also confiscated several personal belongings during the raid.

To date, the couple has been denied access to legal counsel and has not been permitted any contact with their families.

At the time of this report, there is still no official information disclosed regarding the couple’s whereabouts, the reasons for their detention, or any formal charges brought against them.

Background: The Previous Case of Saman Karimi, a Former Political Prisoner Sentenced to Death,

According to earlier detailed reports by Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva, Saman Karimi was previously arrested on November 8, 2018, by the Intelligence Services of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Suleiman Beg Hills area of Baneh. He was transferred to Shahramfar Detention Center in Sine (Sanandaj) for interrogation. After three months in solitary confinement and interrogation, during which he was denied access to legal representation and family visits, he was transferred to the Central Prison in Sine(Sanandaj).

On November 12, 2019, Karimi was tried at Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Sine (Sanandaj), by presiding Judge Saeedi, on charges of “rebellion (baghi) through membership and collaboration with a Kurdish opposition party.” On December 4th of that same year, he was officially sentenced to death and an additional 11 years of discretionary imprisonment.

The case was subsequently appealed. On January 1, 2020, the Supreme Court of Iran, citing deficiencies in the investigation, overturned the death sentence at Branch 27 of the Supreme Court in Qom and sent the case back to the issuing court for retrial.

Following this reversal, Karimi was released from Central Prison in Sine on March 4, 2021, on bail for the amount of 1.5 billion tomans, pending the conclusion of judicial proceedings.

In July 2021, Branch 4 of the Court of Appeals sentenced Karimi to four years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion to act against national security,” four years for “membership in a Kurdish opposition party,” and one year for “propaganda against the regime.” The verdict was formally issued to him on Saturday, July 17, 2021.

Under Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code (2013), which stipulates the implementation of the most severe sentence when multiple convictions are present, Karimi was to serve four years of imprisonment. However, due to time already served during his previous detentions, this period was recognized as time fulfilled.