The Iranian Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Hatem Özdemir, a Kurdish political prisoner with Turkish citizenship, on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh), the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported.

Özdemir from Ağrı province in North Kurdistan (Eastern Turkey), who was sentenced to death in May by Branch Three of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Orumiyeh, has faced charges stemming from his involvement with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The initial death sentence was handed down by Judge Najafzadeh, and following an appeal by Özdemir’s defence, the case was reviewed and confirmed by the Supreme Court in recent days.

Background

On 2 July 2019, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces from the Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shohada base in Orumiyeh ambushed a group of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members, including Özdemir, in the border areas of Chaldoran, West Azerbaijan Province.

Özdemir was knocked unconscious by a mortar shell during the shooting and shelling of the area. Following his arrest, he was taken to the IRGC Intelligence Organisation’s detention facility in Orumiyeh, where he endured approximately 50 days of interrogation and torture before being transferred to the city’s central prison on 19 August 2019.

In March 2022, after 33 months of detention without legal representation, Özdemir was sentenced to death and five years in prison by Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Khoy on charges of “armed insurrection” (baghi) and “membership of a terrorist group”.

The case was referred to the Supreme Court following his appeal against the verdict.

After appealing the verdict, the Supreme Court’s Ninth Branch overturned the death sentence in March 2023 and referred the case for reconsideration to a parallel branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh, namely Branch Three.

Özdemir’s next trial was held on 23 April 2024, in Branch Three of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh, presided over by Judge Najafzadeh, on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) with his lawyer.

The court again sentenced him to death, and the verdict was officially communicated to him in Orumiyeh prison on 19 May.

Despite suffering from kidney stones for several years, Özdemir has been denied medical treatment and surgery, contrary to doctors’ recommendations and an ultrasound diagnosis indicating the need for surgical intervention.