On 19 August 2026, Mohammad Jabari, former Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Sanandaj, was appointed Head of the Judiciary in Kurdistan Province. The European Union sanctioned Jabari in February 2023, identifying him as responsible for serious human rights violations since 2019, including death sentences and the repression of demonstrations.
In January 2025, HANA documented Jabari’s previous security role as Head of Intelligence Protection within the provincial judiciary and reported allegations concerning his involvement in the lethal repression of protesters, torture of detainees during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, and executions of political prisoners. HANA also reported that Mostafa Salimi, a Kurdish political prisoner rearrested after escaping Saqqez Prison, was executed following Jabari’s direct intervention.
HANA considers his promotion, in the absence of an independent investigation and accountability, a grave indication of institutional impunity and raises serious concerns for the effective protection of the rights to life, liberty, freedom from torture, and a fair trial in Kurdistan Province.