On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), a human rights watchdog based in France, has highlighted the plight of Kurdish women political prisoners in Iran as an embodiment of the wider struggle for women’s rights and resistance to oppression.
At least 10 Kurdish women political prisoners are currently being held in Orumiyeh, Sanandaj, Tonekabon and Evin prisons, KHRN said.
At the forefront is Zeynab Jalalian from Maku, Iran’s longest-serving prisoner of conscience, currently in her seventeenth year of imprisonment without parole. Originally convicted of “enmity against God”, Jalalian has been subjected to severe torture, denied medical care, and has served her sentence in isolation while being moved between prisons. She is currently in Yazd Prison.
Jalalian recently wrote a poignant letter from behind bars, celebrating International Women’s Day, with particular reference to the struggles and sacrifices of women in Rojhilat (Iranian Kurdistan) and wider Iran.
Mozhgan Kavousi, from Kelardasht, is in Tonekabon prison, serving a sentence of three years and three months on charges including “assembly and conspiracy against national security”. Her political imprisonment follows an earlier 21-month sentence on similar charges.
Sakineh Parvaneh, from Quchan, is serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence in Mashhad Central Prison on charges including “propaganda against the state”, marking her continued battle with the Iranian justice system following several arrests.
Hajar Saeidi, of Sanandaj, was sentenced to one year in prison for “acting against national security”, accused of forming a communist group in the aftermath of the Jina Revolution.
Jiyan Aghad Yousef, a Kurdish civilian with Turkish citizenship, was subjected to extensive interrogation and torture before being charged with “acting against national security”, illustrating the transnational impact of such detentions.
Saada Khedirzadeh, from Piranshahr, faces 12 years and six months in prison on charges including “complicity in the murder” of an IRGC member, after enduring harassment and being denied legal representation during her detention.
Fereshteh Hosseini, from Bukan, is serving an eight-month sentence for “propaganda against the state” after being detained by security forces in 2022.
Zhila Hojabri, from Marivan, faces three years and eight months in prison on charges including “membership of opposition groups”, highlighting the ongoing crackdown on political dissent.
Wrisha Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, who both face serious charges including “armed insurrection”, represent the acute risks faced by political activists, having endured torture and prolonged detention.
Mahvash Tavassoli from Piranshahr, arrested during the Jin, Jîyan, Azadî (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising and now under house arrest, illustrates the multiple forms of detention and control exercised over political dissent.
These cases highlight the complex landscape of political imprisonment in Iran, where women who engage in political activism or dissent are routinely charged with national security, propaganda and enmity against the state.
