Idris Manbari and Sarveh PourMohammadi, Civil Activists in Sanandaj Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

Idris Manbari and Sarveh PourMohammadi, civil activists, Kurdish language teachers, and members of the board of the Nozhin Cultural and Social Association in Sanandaj, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of the city. According to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, the verdict was officially announced to Idris Manbari's lawyers on Thursday, October 26. Mr. Manbari wrote on his social media accounts that the sentence was issued for charges including 'following Hengaw media pages on social media, participating in the burial of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, legitimizing the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, and leading the Nozhin Cultural Association in organizing a workshop on federalism.' According to the report, he had previously been sentenced to one year in prison for 'disturbing public order' in branch 106 of the Sanandaj Criminal Court, with time served counted, along with exile to Dizelabad prison in Kermanshah and 40 lashes. Idris Manbari was arrested by the Islamic Republic's security forces on December 18 last year and was temporarily released on bail of one billion tomans until the end of the judicial proceedings on February 28 of the same year. This civil activist had also been arrested on June 22, 2019, along with two other members of the Nozhin Association by the Sanandaj Intelligence Department. According to Hengaw, Sarveh PourMohammadi was arrested by government forces on February 28 of last year after visiting the Sanandaj court to follow up on the case of the detained members of the Nozhin Association. This civil activist was released on February 24 of the same year after undergoing interrogation and being informed of the charges, upon posting bail from the rehabilitation center and Sanandaj central prison.