Sanandaj: Kurdish Civilian Benyamin Rahimpour Sentenced to One Year in Prison

Benyamin Rahimpour, a 33-year-old Kurdish citizen from Sanandaj, has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

According to a reliable source, the court session took place on February 11, 2025, and the verdict was officially communicated to Rahimpour on February 15 of the same year.

Previously, on February 8, Rahimpour was released temporarily on bail after 19 days of detention, during which a 500 million toman bond and the deed to a family shop were used to secure his release.

During his detention, Rahimpour was held in the Shahramfar detention center, operated by the IRGC Intelligence Organization in Sanandaj, where he was denied access to legal counsel and contact with his family.

A source reported that, ten days after his violent and arbitrary arrest, his family’s inquiry was met with threats of arrest, confiscation of mobile phones, and verbal abuse by IRGC officers.

Rahimpour was initially detained on January 23, 2025, after more than ten security agents violently stormed his shop in Sanandaj. He was then transferred to the IRGC’s Shahramfar detention facility.

The same night, without a court warrant, security forces also raided his family home, pointed weapons at his children and relatives, and confiscated personal belongings, including his mobile phone and laptop.

This is not the first time the Rahimpour family has faced such targeting. On May 3, 2020, both Benyamin and his brother Tariq Rahimpour were arrested. On July 30, 2020, Tariq was sentenced by the same court under Judge Saeedi to four years of suspended imprisonment for alleged affiliation with a Kurdish opposition party, and an additional one year of discretionary imprisonment following a complaint from the IRGC for “insulting the regime and resisting state officials.”

Benyamin Rahimpour is the son of Mousa Rahimpour, a resident of Aveheng village, near Sanandaj. He is married and a father.