Issuance of 12 Death Sentences for Five Kurdish Citizens from Bukan

In the continued escalation of issuing and enforcing death sentences in Iran, two prisoners were executed in Tabriz prison, and five Kurdish citizens from Bukan were collectively sentenced to 12 death sentences and decades of imprisonment by a court that operated under opaque circumstances and failed to uphold basic standards of fair trial. These events have once again drawn the attention of human rights organizations to the deep crisis in Iran’s criminal justice system and the widespread violation of human rights.

Execution of Amin Khosravi and Saeed Asadzadeh in Tabriz

At dawn on Monday, July 7, 2025, Amin Khosravi and Saeed Asadzadeh, who had been arrested in 2021 on charges related to drug offenses and the murder of an officer, were executed in Tabriz prison.

Issuance of 12 Death Sentences for Five Kurdish Citizens from Bukan

On the same day, Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, presided over by Judge Reza Najafzadeh, sentenced five Kurdish citizens from Bukan — Soran Ghasemi, Pejman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, and Tayfur Salimi Babamiri — to a total of 12 death sentences and 75 years of imprisonment. These individuals had been arrested during the nationwide protests in 2022 and were subjected to months of interrogation, torture, and enforced disappearance in detention centers run by the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC.

According to the families and lawyers of the defendants, the verdicts were based on forced confessions extracted under torture, and the court proceedings lacked even the most basic standards of fair trial. Hearings were limited to three online sessions without independent observers, and the appointed lawyers were only allowed to present brief oral defenses when the indictment was read.

Grave and Concerning Charges

The five defendants face a list of severe charges: “Baghi” (armed rebellion), “Moharebeh” (waging war against God), “establishing and leading an insurgent group,” “providing intelligence to the hostile government of Israel (Mossad),” “smuggling over 120 Starlink satellite internet devices,” “propaganda against the regime,” and “assembly and collusion against national security.”

According to the verdict, three of the defendants — Soran Ghasemi, Pejman Soltani, and Kaveh Salehi — were each sentenced to three death sentences and 15 years of imprisonment; Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri was sentenced to two death sentences and 15 years in prison; and Tayfur Salimi Babamiri received one death sentence and 15 years in prison.

Six other defendants in the same case were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 5 to 10 years. Under Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, the court ruled that for each of the five main defendants, the most severe punishment (execution) should be enforced.

Torture and Forced Confessions

Families report that the defendants were held in solitary confinement for months and subjected to severe physical and psychological torture. They were threatened that if they refused to confess, their family members would be arrested or executed. This approach by security and judicial authorities is a clear violation of human rights and the principle of presumption of innocence.

Unsubstantiated Allegation of “Starlink Smuggling”

In the indictment by the Urmia Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, the defendants were accused of collaborating with Mossad to smuggle and distribute 120 Starlink satellite internet devices in western Iran. However, according to legal experts, no technical evidence or independent documents were presented to substantiate this accusation, and the judge relied solely on “confessions obtained under torture.” This raises serious doubts about the fairness of the trial.

Cases of “Judicial Cruelty” and “Excessive Punishment”

In the cases of Pejman Soltani and Soran Ghasemi, separate death sentences had previously been issued in other cases. The repeated issuance of death sentences for a single defendant is considered by legal experts to be a clear example of “judicial cruelty” and a violation of the principle of fairness in criminal justice.