Kurdish youngster sentenced to death in Iran over “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” protests

In Rojhilat (East Kurdistan), a young Kurd has been sentenced to death by the Iranian regime’s judiciary in connection with protests of the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement. The verdict targets 20-year-old Mohsen Eslamkhah from Bokan, who was underage at the time of the protests. According to the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), a Revolutionary Court in Mahabad accuses the young man of “enmity against God” — a charge frequently used against political prisoners in Iran.

Tortured in detention

Eslamkhah took part in protests in Bokan in 2022. Regime forces repeatedly attempted to arrest him at his family home, after which he left the country and lived for several years in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). After returning to Rojhilat in the summer of 2025 due to poor economic conditions, he turned himself in to the authorities — and was immediately arrested.

During his detention, according to sources close to the case, Eslamkhah was subjected to severe abuse for weeks. The charges against him, including alleged involvement in the killing of a member of the Basij militia, are said to be based on statements extracted under torture. After about two months in a prison run by Iranian intelligence in Urmia, he was transferred to a prison in Bokan. He was later temporarily released on high bail before the proceedings continued.

Re-arrest and death sentence

In February, Eslamkhah was re-arrested and sentenced to death in the same month. According to KHRN, the decision has only now become public. In addition to Eslamkhah, two other political prisoners — Mohammad Faraji and Raouf Sheikh-Maroufi — were also sentenced to death in the same case. They remain imprisoned.

Human rights organizations view the case as a serious violation of fundamental legal principles. Firstly, Eslamkhah was only 16 years old at the time of the alleged acts. Secondly, the trial was reportedly marked by forced confessions and a lack of defense rights. The case is emblematic of how Iranian authorities have handled the 2022 protests. Since then, many participants have been arrested, prosecuted, and in several cases executed.