Kiyvan Ashtab, Kurdish Nurse, Transferred to Mahabad Prison to Serve 9-Month Sentence
Kiyvan Ashtab, a 30-year-old Kurdish nurse from Mahabad, has been transferred to the city’s central prison following a summons to serve his judicial sentence of 9 months imprisonment. He was previously detained in the summer of 2025 and, after several weeks of interrogation, was temporarily released on bail.
According to reports published by human rights organizations and Kurdish media outlets, Kiyvan Ashtab was transferred to Mahabad Prison in late September 2026 following receipt of a notice to serve his sentence and his presentation to judicial authorities.
This Kurdish nurse was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment by the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Mahabad in August 2026. News agencies Hrana and Kurdpa have identified the charge against him as “propaganda against the system”; however, some other reports have also mentioned the charge of “action against national security.” The precise details of this discrepancy in published information remain unclear.
According to human rights sources, Kiyvan Ashtab was arrested on June 20, 2025 by the Information Agency forces and transferred to one of the security detention facilities of this agency in Urmia. After several weeks of detention and interrogation, he was transferred to Mahabad Prison and subsequently released on bail to allow the legal proceedings of his case to continue.
With the enforcement of his 9-month sentence, this healthcare worker is once again serving time in prison. At the time of the publication of the aforementioned reports, no independent information had been released regarding the full details of the case, court documents, and the official response of judicial authorities to the criticisms raised about the proceedings.
Kiyvan Ashtab’s case is being raised at a time when human rights reports are documenting the issuance of prison sentences and detentions of citizens in various parts of Iran. The use of security charges in cases related to the expression of views or political activities has consistently raised concerns about freedom of expression, the right to defense, and the observance of fair legal proceedings.
In Ashtab’s case, what multiple sources confirm is his transfer to prison to serve the 9-month sentence. Regarding the details of the charges and the basis for issuing the sentence, the available public information remains incomplete and inconsistent.
Behind every name in news of detention and imprisonment lies a person with a life, family, and future affected by these sentences. Accurate documentation of these cases and monitoring the condition of prisoners is part of an effort to prevent the fate of these individuals from being forgotten.
