ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish artist who was arrested during Iran's January protests while wounded by shotgun fire has been sentenced to six years in prison and 80 lashes by the Revolutionary Court and the Criminal Court of Bojnurd, according to a rights organization.
Mehdi Pakmehr, 41, a well-known cultural and artistic figure, was detained during the January protests in the Bojnud district in North Khorasan province, after being shot in the leg by security forces, according to the Hangaw Organization for Human Rights.
The organization also said authorities refused to provide a written copy of the verdicts, which it described as a violation of due process. Pakmer was previously held for nearly two months in Bojnurd Central Prison in harsh conditions despite his injuries, Hangaw said.
Along with Pakmehr, several employees of his café were also detained during the same wave of arrests targeting protesters in January.
The ruling comes amid an intensifying crackdown by Iranian authorities on people arrested during the January anti-government protests. Human rights groups say thousands of demonstrators were killed and more than 20,000 people were detained in the ensuing security campaign.
Pakmehr was previously arrested in 2024 and sentenced to six months in prison, and also detained in June 2017 after releasing his song “Biji Kurdistan (Long Live Kurdistan),” which referenced Kurdistan, the Peshmerga, and the Kurdish flag.
Rights organizations have accused Iranian authorities of bringing politically motivated charges against detainees, including allegations of cooperation with Israel and the United States. They also say security forces routinely use torture and other forms of ill-treatment to extract self-incriminating confessions later used in court proceedings.
Amnesty International said earlier this month that Iranian authorities have "weaponised the death penalty to repress dissent," warning that officials have called for expedited prosecutions of people detained since the January protests.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Iran carried out 2,063 executions in 2025, the highest annual total recorded in more than three decades. Human rights groups have expressed concern that additional protesters and political prisoners could face severe sentences, including execution, as authorities continue their post-protest crackdown.
Arrests have also increased since the April ceasefire that ended weeks of conflict between Iran, the US, and Israel. Authorities have accused thousands of detainees of providing photos and videos of sensitive sites struck during the six-week aerial bombing campaign to foreign adversaries.
