Upon orders from the Ministry of Intelligence, the Miandoab Revolutionary Court charged a Kurdish political prisoner, Soada Khadirzadeh, with assisting in the purchase of weapons in a new case. She is detained in Urmia Prison in northwestern Iran.
Before this, she was sentenced to a total of 16 years and six months in prison for two sentences passed by the Mahabad and Piranshahr Revolutionary Courts for “accessory to murder” and membership in a dissident Kurdish group. The charge of “accessory to murder” was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
According to informed sources, after Soada Khadirzadeh’s charge was dismissed, the family of the plaintiff, who are members of the Ministry of Intelligence, immediately filed a complaint and opened a new case against her to try to keep the imprisoned mother and her daughter in prison.
Soada Khadirzadeh’s lawyer has objected to the new charges brought against her client. In response to the lawyer’s protest, the judge said that “Whether the Supreme Court dismissed the charges or not, this woman has a plaintiff and is accused of assisting in the purchase of weapons for her husband.”
The new case comes at a time when Soada Khadirzadeh, after serving two years and five months of her imprisonment and the dismissal of the charge of accessory to murder, should have the right to parole or at least a prison furlough.
But the 35-year-old mother, along with her one-year-old daughter, Solina, who was born in prison, is still detained in Urmia Central Prison.
Background information
In February 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed Soada Khadirzadeh’s sentence of 10 years and six months of imprisonment on the charge of “accessory to murder.” She had been sentenced to two years and one day of prison by the Mahabad Revolutionary Court for helping her husband flee. She was also sentenced to four years of prison by the Revolutionary Court of Piranshahr for membership in a Kurdish dissident group.
One year old Solina deprived of birth certificate
Solina, who turned one year old on June 20, 2023, in Urmia prison does not have a birth certificate and her mother is struggling to raise her in prison. Soada Khadirzadeh cannot provide milk powder and clothes for her daughter. There is also the threat that the prison authorities will take Solina away from her mother under various pretexts.
Solina, now one year and nine months old, has never left the prison and was not allowed to see a doctor outside of prison. She was only allowed to take part in a court session with her mother in February 2023, where a member of the plaintiff’s family tried to kick Solina but was prevented by court agents.
The plaintiffs, who are affiliated with the Ministry of Intelligence, have requested the most severe punishment for the young mother and have threatened to kill her if she goes on a prison furlough. Because of the pressure and threats against her, Soada is in poor mental condition and tried to take her own life once.
During her pregnancy, she requested leave many times and even after paying large amounts of bail money, she was not allowed to leave upon orders of the Ministry of Intelligence and went on a hunger strike in protest.
Born in 1989, the Kurdish political prisoner is from Piranshahr, northwestern Iran. She lost her father at the age of 9 and could not continue her education due to poverty.
Soada Khadirzadeh was arrested by government forces in Piranshahr on October 14, 2021, and was transferred to Urmia Central Prison on November 8.
