The detainees were held in the Ministry’s detention center in Sanandaj. They were finally transferred to the central prison of the same city on August 7. The Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj assigned the huge sum of 100,000 USD as a bail bond. The sum was finally financed and Sama Bahmani was allowed out of the jail on September 10.
The court session for the human rights activist was held in Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj on November 23, headed by Judge Babaei. The court was not open to the public and Sama Bahmani was charged with propaganda against the regime and membership in the Coalition of Human Rights Advocates in Iran (the warrant referred to the organization as a minor, illegal human rights advocate organization in Iran). The sentencing included three years’ imprisonment, suspension for a duration of five years, sanctioning from any presence in Kurdish-populated areas and a prohibition on contacting anyone convicted of propaganda against the regime or charged with activities against national security.
Three years’ imprisonment for human rights advocate in Iranian Kurdistan
Sama Bahmani, a member of the Coalition of Human Rights Advocates in Islamic Republic of Iran, was detained on July 23, along with three teachers and civil rights activists in the Kurd part of Islamic Republic of Iran. All four were charged with efforts to prepare a report on human rights violations in the region. Right, Sanandaj, the city where they were held and allegedly mistreated and kept in solitary confinement.