Document Registered Regarding Zara Mohammadi at the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions

Update: The "Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions" of the United Nations addressed the case of Zara Mohammadi, a Kurdish prisoner who is currently outside of prison, in its latest meeting, and issued an "opinion" deeming her detention and imprisonment as a case of "arbitrary detention." In the detailed "opinion" approved by the group in its recent meeting, the multi-year process of her case was discussed, documenting its "arbitrary" nature based on international standards. It is worth mentioning that Zara Mohammadi is currently outside of prison. The opinions of the working group do not necessarily reflect the latest status of the prisoner due to the lengthy review process of cases in this group. Therefore, the text of the opinion includes a request for the prisoner's release. Following the arrest of Zara Mohammadi, a civil activist and Kurdish language teacher in Sanandaj prison several years ago, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, in its recent meeting, approved an "opinion" declaring her detention as arbitrary and "demanded her release." The "Kurdistan Human Rights Association" and the organization "Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization" based at the UN headquarters in Geneva, along with signatories of the online petition "Petition," had called for the approval of this opinion. Zara Mohammadi, one of the founders of the cultural-social association "Nozhin," has dedicated over a decade of her life to teaching the Kurdish language in her hometown of Sanandaj. This working group urged the United Nations to condemn this action and hold the Iranian authorities accountable for the systematic violation of the rights of Kurds and other minorities in Iran. The statement also called on the Iranian authorities to respect the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to release Ms. Mohammadi and other members of the "Nozhin" cultural association as soon as possible. Zara Mohammadi, a civil activist and Kurdish language teacher, went to Sanandaj prison on January 7, 2022, along with several other Kurdish civil activists and citizens to serve her prison sentence. Zara Mohammadi was arrested in June 2019 and sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2020 for "forming a group against national security." This sentence was later reduced to five years in an appeals court. She has voluntarily been engaged in teaching the Kurdish language for 12 years in Sanandaj and its surrounding villages.