Kurdish Political Prisoner Transferred to Undisclosed Location

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran - Habibollah Golparipour, a Kurdish political prisoner on death row, was summoned by the Semnan Central Prison officials on May 9 and informed that he must prepare himself for transfer to an undisclosed location, a local source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Golparipour was not informed of the reason for his transfer. The source told the Campaign that considering the political prisoner’s death sentence has been finalized by the Supreme Court, there is concern that his sentence may be carried out imminently.

In an interview with the Campaign, a member of Golparipour’s family confirmed this news and added that Habibollah Golparipour called his family on May 9 and told them during the short telephone call from Semnan Central Prison that he must prepare his belongings and prepare for transfer on Friday, May 10.

The political prisoner’s family told the Campaign that Golparipour did not know the reason for the transfer nor the location, and their attempts to find information about his status on Friday were unfruitful. His family are unable to travel the long distance between their residence of Sanandaj in Kurdistan Province and his location in Semnan.

Mahabad IRGC Intelligence forces arrested Habibollah Golparipour on September 27, 2007, just outside Mahabad and imprisoned him at security detention centers in Mahabad, Orumiyeh, and Sanandaj. Sources close to his family told the Campaign that while in detention, he was “subjected to the most severe physical and psychological torture, to the point where his arm and leg were broken under torture.” The prisoner was then transferred to Mahabad Prison and sentenced to death by Branch One of Mahabad Revolutionary Court on March 14, 2010, in a minutes-long trial on charges of “membership in PJAK,” the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan. Golparipour embarked on a 15-day hunger strike on May 12, 2010, to protest his death sentence. However, Branch 31 of the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence.

In an open letter in March 2012, Habibollah Golparipour wrote about the psychological and physical torture he endured in the Intelligence Office detention centers in Orumiyeh and Mahabad. “In my long-term detentions and physical and psychological torture, I almost died. I filed a grievance explaining the details and sent it to various government organizations, but in this country, our voices don’t even pass through our prison cells, let alone finding an audience,” Golparipour wrote.

According to sources close to Habibollah Golparipour, he was transferred to the Central Prison of Orumiyeh on December 3, 2010, and on March 15, 2012, he was abruptly transferred from Orumiyeh Prison to the Central Prison of Semnan, where he has been kept among regular prisoners.

Photo: Kurdish political prisoner Habibollah Golparipour is in danger of imminent execution.