Nayeb Askari, a political prisoner sentenced to death in Urmia prison, transferred to solitary confinement

Human rights sources reported that Nayeb Askari, a political prisoner sentenced to death in Urmia prison, was transferred to solitary confinement on Wednesday, Farvardin 8. The charge against this Kurdish political prisoner is 'baghi' (rebellion) through membership in the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK). In recent years, similar charges have been leveled against several civil and political activists, which they have denied. According to HRANA, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, following Nayeb Askari's protest against the death sentence, the Supreme Court has not yet issued any ruling for him. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Nayeb Askari, who was arrested in Farvardin 1400, was sentenced to death on Mehr 5, 1402, without access to a designated lawyer by the second branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Urmia. The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Urmia had previously sentenced him to death in absentia in 1397 on charges of 'moharebeh' (waging war against God). Mr. Askari is also facing charges of 'participation in the murder' of Mostafa Soltani, a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This is while, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Mostafa Soltani ultimately lost his life due to COVID-19 in 1399, despite being injured in a clash with PJAK members in 1393. Nayeb Askari resided for several years in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and returned to Iran after receiving a 'guarantee letter' and coordinating with the IRGC's intelligence organization. The likelihood of the execution of this political prisoner has increased as Javid Rahman, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, reported on Monday, Esfand 28, an increase of 43% in executions in 2023 and the continuation of a concerning human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Javid Rahman referred to the execution of at least 834 individuals in the past year and described the 'illegal process and unfair trials' in Iran as 'extremely concerning.' He also mentioned allegations of 'torture and mistreatment of detainees,' deprivation of access to lawyers, and obstruction of lawyers' defense of their clients in Iran. A human rights organization reported that Iran ranks first in the world for the execution of women. Javid Rahman's final report to the UN Human Rights Council highlighted the concerning human rights situation and the 43% increase in executions in Iran. The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that for the first time in nine years, two death sentences for 'insulting the sacred' were carried out. Abbas Daris's lawyer stated that the reason for the charge of moharebeh against his client was never proven, yet a death sentence was issued.