Supreme Court Upholds Heavy Sentences of 68 Years Prison for Two Kurdish Brothers in Ilam and 12 Billion Rials Fine

The heavy sentences against Amirali and Emad Zakeri-Fard, two Kurdish brothers and detainees from the “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi” (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement in Ilam, have been upheld by the Supreme Court of Iran. The two brothers have been sentenced to a combined 68 years of imprisonment, 12.5 billion rials in fines, and 140 lashes, and are currently serving their sentences in Ilam Central Prison.

According to human rights organizations, Branch 11 of the Supreme Court has upheld the sentences issued against 44-year-old Amirali Zakeri-Fard and his brother Emad Zakeri-Fard exactly as issued. These sentences had previously been upheld by Branch 4 of the Ilam Province Court of Appeal.

According to published information, Amirali Zakeri-Fard has been sentenced across his cases to a combined 35 years of imprisonment, 6.25 billion rials in fines, and 70 lashes. Emad Zakeri-Fard faces sentences totaling 33 years of imprisonment, 6.25 billion rials in fines, and 70 lashes.

The two brothers were arrested during the “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi” movement in November 2022. According to human rights reports, Amirali was arrested for a second time in June 2025. After going through judicial proceedings and being sentenced to imprisonment, they were transferred to Ilam Central Prison on June 21, 2026, to serve their sentences.

The charges against the two brothers include “assembly and conspiracy with intent to disturb domestic security,” “disruption of public order and peace,” “insulting the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic,” “propaganda against the system,” “insulting sacred values,” “possession of unauthorized weapons and ammunition,” “possession of satellite reception equipment,” and “possession of alcoholic beverages.”

According to reports, these charges formed the basis for issuing multiple sentences against the two citizens. However, the complete details of court documentation and the defendants’ legal arguments have not been made publicly available in published reports.

Mohammad Zakeri-Fard, another brother of the two prisoners, has also been sentenced in the same case to one year of imprisonment, 90 million rials in fines, and 55 lashes.

The Kurdistan Network for Human Rights and Hana Organization for Human Rights reported in their accounts of the case history that Amirali and Emad Zakeri-Fard were arrested on November 2, 2022, during a raid by IRGC Intelligence forces on their mother’s home in Ilam.

According to these reports, the two brothers underwent approximately 15 days of physical and psychological torture during detention and interrogation in order to force them into confessions. These sources reported that Amirali suffered injuries to his head, neck, and shoulders, and Emad suffered injuries to his head and feet. Hana also reported that Emad suffered a heart attack during interrogation and, despite his poor physical condition, was denied access to medical services.

These are reports published by human rights organizations, and independent assessment of them requires access to medical documents, court files, and the opportunity for independent comment by the parties involved in the case.

In one report, Branch 11 of the Supreme Court was identified as the authority confirming the sentences; however, Hana Organization for Human Rights and the Kurdistan Network for Human Rights mentioned Branch 15 of the Supreme Court in their published reports on the same case. This discrepancy in branch numbers has not been clarified in published sources and requires review of official judicial documents.

Additionally, the combined 35 and 33 years of imprisonment represent the total sentences announced against the two brothers across different cases and should not be considered equivalent to the actual enforceable prison term without regard to legal rules for sentencing aggregation. The Kurdistan Network for Human Rights and Hana wrote that according to the rule of executing the most severe punishment, the enforceable sentence for each of the two brothers could be 10 years of imprisonment.

The case of Amirali and Emad Zakeri-Fard has once again brought into focus the issue of the use of severe punishments, flogging, and financial penalties in cases related to protests and civil activities. The confirmation of these sentences is being reported at a time when human rights organizations have raised questions and concerns about the arrest process, the quality of interrogations, and allegations of torture against the two brothers.