Kamran Sakhtemanegar, Sanandaj Labor Activist, Summoned Again on Charges of “Propaganda Against the State”
In continuation of the judicial and security pressures on labor activists in Iran, Kamran Sakhtemanegar, a well-known labor activist from Sanandaj, has once again been summoned to Branch 2 of the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court. According to the official summons received through the SANA system, he is required to appear at the Sanandaj courthouse, located on Basij Boulevard, to answer charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”
This new case is a continuation of his previous arrest on February 5, 2025, when he was detained by security forces on Jami Street in Sanandaj and transferred to prison following interrogations. He was released on March 11, 2025, on bail, but was once again formally charged on May 18, 2025, and his case referred to the Revolutionary Court.
This is not the only instance of judicial pressure on Sakhtemanegar. Previously, in September, 2023, he was returned to Sanandaj Central Prison to serve a three-month sentence and was released on December 3, 2023, after paying a fine. Following a complaint by Jahangir Elyasi, then director of Kurdistan’s Road and Urban Development Department, he was tried on January 6, 2025, in Sanandaj Criminal Court on charges of defamation and slander.
He had also been summoned in July 2023 to Branch 2 of the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court to answer accusations of “assembly and collusion against internal and external security” and “propaganda against the regime.” His court sessions were held on September 5 and 17, 2023, and he was sentenced on September 18, 2023, to three months in prison and a fine of 340 million rials for “propaganda against the regime through interviews with TV networks and social media.”
These repeated summonses and multiple verdicts against Kamran Sakhtemanegar point to a systematic pattern of suppressing freedom of expression and peaceful civil activities in Iran. He has repeatedly faced judicial and security pressures, including imprisonment, fines, night arrests, and suspended sentences, solely for defending workers’ rights and peacefully expressing criticism through media.
