Death threats to an Iranian Kurdish journalist outside Iran; prison sentence for a media activist in Sanandaj

The human rights organization Hengaw reported on the death threat to an Iranian Kurdish journalist living outside Iran and the issuance of a prison sentence and flogging to a media activist in Sanandaj in recent days.

According to this human rights organization, the Ravansar Intelligence Department summoned the brother of a female journalist living in the Kurdistan Region and threatened her and her family with death.

Journalist Shahla Mohammadi told Hengaw that during her brother's summons, intelligence officers showed him photos of him, his wife, and his child, gave him information about their workplace and lives, and threatened that "they will soon return their bodies."

Ms. Mohammadi, who has been living in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region as a political refugee since 2011 due to her political activities and is engaged in media activities, also said that security agencies have repeatedly threatened her and her family in recent years.

Threats against media activists and their families by the Islamic Republic's security institutions have a long history.

In this regard, following the publication of news of the Islamic Republic's attempt to kidnap Masih Alinejad, a journalist and political activist living in the United States, the Abdolrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights issued a report and statement on August 26, stating that the Iranian government "has a long history" in this regard and that the Boroumand Foundation "has identified, in its ongoing research, more than 540 Iranians whose murders or successful kidnappings are attributed to the Islamic Republic of Iran."

According to this report, since the 1979 revolution, agents of the Islamic Republic have carried out hundreds of attacks against refugees in various countries, and because they have often been immune from any punishment, they have constantly repeated these attacks.

Hengaw also reported that Morteza Haqbian, a media and Telegram activist from Sanandaj, was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison and 90 lashes, as well as a fine of 10 million Tomans, on charges of "defaming Kurdistan provincial administrators and publishing government documents."

According to this report, Mr. Haqbian was arrested in September 2019 for his activities on the Aamak Telegram channel (exposing the performance of Kurdistan managers) and was held in solitary confinement at the Intelligence Directorate for 67 days.

Source: Radio Farda