According to reports received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, in recent days, the death sentences of five Kurdish political prisoners—Teyfor Salimi Babamiri, Soran Ghasemi, Pejman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi, and Rezgar Bigzadeh Babamiri—who had been detained as part of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Bukan, were overturned by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court. Their cases have been referred back to the Mahabad Revolutionary Court for retrial.
According to received reports, following appeals submitted by the lawyers of the case—Osman Mazin, Behrouz Kia, and Nejat Alipour—the decision was officially communicated to the families of these prisoners on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
Osman Mazin, the lawyer representing Rezgar Bigzadeh Babamiri, explained the Supreme Court’s reasoning for overturning the sentences: “The Supreme Court determined that the judge who issued the death sentences did not hold any official position in the relevant branch at the time of issuing the verdict, and the court that issued the sentences was not the court of jurisdiction where the alleged acts occurred. Therefore, the court lacked authority to adjudicate the case. As a result, the death sentences were overturned, and the case was referred for retrial to a court of equal and local jurisdiction, namely the Mahabad Revolutionary Court.”
Additionally, in recent days, these five political prisoners, along with several of their co-defendants who had previously been released on bail, were acquitted by the Orumiyeh Criminal Court of charges of “financing terrorism.”
Previously, in July 2025, Teyfor Salimi Babamiri, Soran Ghasemi, Pejman Soltani, Kaveh Salehi, and Rezgar Bigzadeh Babamiri had been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Orumiyeh Revolutionary Court to death on charges of “moharebeh” (waging war against God) and “baghi” (rebellion). In addition, they were each sentenced to 15 years in prison for “membership in terrorist groups.” Specifically, Soran Ghasemi, Kaveh Salehi, and Pejman Soltani had been sentenced to three death sentences each, Rezgar Bigzadeh Babamiri to two, and Teyfor Salimi Babamiri, who had been released on bail, to one. Altogether, beyond the death sentences, these five prisoners were sentenced to a total of 75 years in prison.
According to investigations by Hana, during several months of detention, these five prisoners were denied their most basic legal rights, including access to a chosen lawyer, family visits, and medical care. There is also substantial evidence that they were subjected to severe physical and psychological torture to force them into making coerced confessions.
Based on the report, Branch 1 of the Orumiyeh Revolutionary Court also issued prison sentences and fines for eight other defendants in the case—Siamak Hiyasi, Savareh Azizzadeh, Heman Kermanj, Hossein Hosseinzadeh, Jalil Mouloudi, Ahmad Mamehzadeh, Javanmard Mam Khosravi, and Salar Daghdar—on charges of “membership in rebellious groups” under the organizations “Shamaran, Komala, and Pak,” “collaboration with the hostile state of Israel,” and “insulting the Supreme Leader.”
It is worth noting that these individuals were arrested in April 2023 by security forces due to their participation in the nationwide protests over the state killing of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini in Bukan and Baneh and were transferred to the Orumiyeh Intelligence Detention Center.