One-Year Prison Sentence Executed for Sirvan Ebrahimi, Kurdish Language Teacher, in Sanandaj

Sirvan Ebrahimi, a Kurdish language teacher and a member of the board of the cultural-social association "Nozhin," was transferred to Sanandaj prison on Saturday, January 9, to serve a one-year prison sentence. According to the human rights organization "Hangaw," the 106th branch of the Sanandaj Criminal Court sentenced this civil activist to one year in prison and 40 lashes for what it termed "disruption of public order," a ruling that was also upheld by the appeals court. Furthermore, the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj sentenced Ebrahimi in another case in December of this year to 11 years in prison on charges of "forming groups with the intent to disrupt security" and "propaganda against the government," of which 10 years would be enforceable if confirmed by the appeals court. Ebrahimi previously mentioned on his personal page that the reasons for these rulings included his "responsibility in the Nozhin association and its activities," "posting photos of martyrs on social media," and the accusation of "contacting a channel named Kurd TV," which he claimed he was unaware of. This civil activist has been arrested and imprisoned several times due to his activities. In recent months, the Islamic Republic has intensified pressure on Kurdish activists and Kurdish language teachers. In November of this year, two other Kurdish language teachers and board members of the Nozhin cultural-social association in Sanandaj, Idris Manbari and Sarveh Pourmohammadi, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison. Following the nationwide protests of 2022, the Islamic Republic has escalated security and judicial crackdowns against political, civil, and labor activists. These actions have faced criticism from human rights organizations and the United Nations.