Hamid Huseynnejad Heyderanlu, a Kurdish man from the Çaldıran (Ebex) district of Van (Wan), Turkey, is currently facing a death sentence in Iran. His mother, Qezbest Ruzdar, released an emotional video appeal on 7 April directed at both the general public and human rights organisations, asking for urgent intervention to save her son’s life. This is the first time his case has come to public attention.
In her statement, Ruzdar explained that her son has been imprisoned for two years, including an entire year in incommunicado detention. She insists he was in Turkey with her and his children on the date of the alleged offence. Supporting this claim, she cites his passport, which bears an exit stamp, and phone signal records indicating he was outside of Iran at the time.
In the video, Ruzdar said:
"I am Qezbest Ruzdar, mother of Hamid Huseynnejad Heyderanlu. We are from Çaldıran [Ebex], a district of Van [Wan], Turkey. On the day they claim the incident happened, my son, his children and I were together in Turkey. His passport has an exit stamp and phone signal data also shows he was outside Iran. Yet, they still arrested him."
Ruzdar claims her son was tortured during interrogation and forced to sign a confession he could not read due to his illiteracy.
"He didn’t even know what he was signing. A death sentence was handed to an innocent person. His lawyer has proven his innocence," she said. "I am a mother. I am dying from this pain. My grandchildren are left without their father. We want justice. Please help us."
Çaldıran, in Van province near the Turkey-Iran border, lies within a region historically inhabited by Kurdish communities. The area illustrates the lasting effects of 20th-century nation-state boundary formations, which divided the Kurdish population across Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. A prominent example is the division of Kurdish-majority southeast Turkey, known as Bakur, and Kurdish-majority western Iran, known as Rojhilat, where longstanding cultural and familial ties have been disrupted by militarised borders and oppressive state policies. The fragmented Kurdish populations have been subjected to distinct political systems, characterised by surveillance, restricted movement, and broader efforts at cultural assimilation.
Local reports confirm that Heyderanlu’s death sentence was recently upheld. The ruling is believed to be based on forced confessions and was made in the absence of adequate legal representation. He has been accused of membership in a banned organisation—an allegation frequently used by Iranian authorities in politically motivated cases.
Iran’s use of the death penalty, particularly in cases involving ethnic minorities and political charges, has long attracted international criticism. According to human rights organisations, executions have sharply increased in recent years, many following trials that lack transparency and fail to meet international legal standards.
The case of Heyderanlu came to light after a social media influencer shared his mother’s emotional appeal, pushing his arrest and sentencing into the public eye. In parallel, three Kurdish women—Warisheh Mohammedi, Pakshan Azizi, and Sharifeh Mohammedi—are also at risk of imminent execution in Iran. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have issued urgent calls for action in these cases, raising alarm over due process violations, alleged torture during detention, and unfair trials.
