Breathing in Confinement

Zahra Mohammadi receives 10 years sentence in prison

21-July-2020

Category: Women

Breathing in Confinement: Zahra Mohammadi, a civil activist, and Kurdish language teacher was sentenced to ten years in prison by the Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj.

According to The Kurdish Center for Human Rights, Zahra Mohammadi was sentenced to ten years in prison by Branch 1 of the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court, on a charge of “forming a group against the national security.” She has been informed of this on July 12, 2020, via SMS, and is having 20 days to appeal the decision.

On Thursday, May 23, 2019, after security forces raided their homes in Sanandaj, Zahra Mohammadi along with three other members of the Nozhin Socio-Cultural Association, were arrested. Four days after their arrest, two of the detainees, Idris Minbari and Ribvar Minbari, were released on bail and were later acquitted in the court. Zahra Mohammadi however, remained in custody for about six more months, when she finally was temporarily released on December 2, 2019, on a bail amount of 700 million Tomans.

It needs to be mentioned that Nozhin Socio-Cultural Association started its activities in 2011, with official permission from Kurdistan Governor’s Office. The activities of the Nozhin Association focus on teaching the Kurdish language as well as environmental protection. And the association has been holding various relevant educational sessions for different age groups from children to adults.