The Penal Court of Mahabad, Iranian Kurdistan, sentenced political prisoner Soada Khadirzadeh to 12 years and 6 months on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
Soada Khadirzadeh’s first trial was held online on August 24, 2022, at Branch 3 of Mahabad’s Criminal Court. Soada, her lawyer, and the plaintiffs were in attendance.
The charges brought against Soada Khadirzadeh was taking part in murder as the main accomplice and membership in a Kurdish party that opposes the Iranian regime. Ms. Khadirzadeh categorically denied killing a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Morad Pirotinia, one of the plaintiffs in the case, is the son of Khezr Pirotinia, who was an IRGC member. Morad has threatened to kill Ms. Khadirzadeh if she is released from prison. Khezr Pirotinia was murdered by an unknown person on October 5, 2021.
The state-run Mizan News Agency, associated with the Iranian Judiciary, had announced a few days ago that Soada Khadirzadeh would be released.
Lawyer of Soada Khadirzadeh withdraws after threats from plaintiffs
Her lawyer has withdrawn from representing this political prisoner. After being threatened by the plaintiffs, her lawyer informed her family that he will no longer represent the imprisoned mother.
The 3-billion-Toman bail for Mrs. Khadirzadeh’s temporary release has long been prepared by her family. At various stages, however, the authorities rejected her temporary release and kept raising the amount each time until it reached 3 billion Tomans.
Soada Khadirzadeh was one-month pregnant at the time of the arrest. She gave birth to her baby in prison. She and her baby daughter are in dire health conditions.
Ms. Khadrizadeh committed suicide because of the pressure the Intelligence Department imposed on her to extract confessions.
Dozens of women’s rights activists released a statement regarding Soada Khadirzadeh’s dire situation as she languishes in the women’s ward of the Central Prison of Urmia. The women’s rights activists demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the Kurdish political prisoner and her newborn daughter, Solina on August 26, 2022.
