Iran Executes Kamran Sheikha, the Seventh Defendant in the Murder Case of a Cleric in Mahabad

Human rights sources report that Kamran Sheikha, a Sunni prisoner and the last of seven defendants in the murder case of Abdul Rahim Tina, the Imam of the Khalafay Rashidin Mosque in Mahabad, was executed early on Thursday, July 25, in Urmia prison. The previous six defendants, named Qasem Abasteh, Ayoub Karimi, Farhad Salimi, Davood Abdollahi, Anwar Khazari, and Khosrow Basharat, were executed in recent months for the murder of Abdul Rahim Tina in 2009. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network announced on Wednesday, July 24, that "Kamran Sheikha, a Sunni Kurdish prisoner sentenced to death, was transferred from Mahabad prison to solitary confinement in Urmia Central Prison for the execution of his sentence." This human rights organization added that prison officials informed the family of this prisoner, who had been incarcerated for 15 years, that his death sentence would be carried out early on Thursday, July 25. Arash Sadeghi, a former political prisoner, wrote about Kamran Sheikha on social media platform X: "Kamran always sang Kurdish songs during outdoor breaks, for his mother, for Kurdistan, for Lake Zaribar. He missed them all." He also added: "Kamran and his six co-defendants were neither terrorists nor murderers. They were souls enamored with life." Human rights sources have stated that these seven defendants were subjected to "severe torture" during their detention and that the judicial process was "ambiguous" and had multiple flaws. The Iran Human Rights Campaign emphasized that all these death sentences were issued in "unjust, opaque courts without adhering to the minimum standards of a fair trial" and lacked "the slightest legal legitimacy." Kamran Sheikha and six other Sunni prisoners were sentenced to death in March 2016 by Branch 28 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Mohammad Mogheiseh. This sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court under Ali Razini. The case was referred back for reconsideration to Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, and their court session was held from June 17 to 19, 2019. Judge Abolqasem Salavati again issued a death sentence for them. The case was once again referred to Branch 41 of the Supreme Court, presided over by Judge Ali Razini, which ultimately confirmed the death sentences of all seven prisoners held in Qezel Hesar prison on February 3, 2020, and these sentences have been carried out in recent months. The imminent execution of Anwar Khazari, Farhad Salimi, Kamran Sheikha, and Khosrow Basharat, Kurdish prisoners, has raised concerns. The sudden transfer of Kamran Sheikha from Qezel Hesar to Mahabad prison; he is sentenced to death. Amnesty International called the "arbitrary" execution of Khosrow Basharat "shocking." Concerns are increasing regarding the imminent execution of a political prisoner; Kamran Sheikha was transferred to solitary confinement. The Islamic Republic executed Khosrow Basharat, a political prisoner, after 15 years of imprisonment. Two executions in one day; Hengaw: The Islamic Republic also executed Farhad Salimi. The transfer of Farhad Salimi to solitary confinement; Amnesty International warned of the "imminent execution" risk. Amnesty International: Four Kurdish prisoners in Qezel Hesar are in "serious danger of execution."