Sardasht: Mamousta Dr. Salam Mahmoudian and Mamousta Hassan Khezri Sentenced to Suspended Prison and Fine by Urmia Special Clergy Court

On May 5, 2025, Mamousta Dr. Salam Mahmoudian, Friday Prayer Leader of the village Bivaran-e Sofla, and Mamousta Hassan Khezri, Friday Prayer Leader of Bivaran-e Olya, both in Sardasht County, were each sentenced by the Special Clergy Court in Urmia to two years of suspended imprisonment and a fine of 20 million tomans.

According to a knowledgeable source, the court session addressing their charges was held today (Monday) at the Special Clergy Court in Urmia, and the preliminary verdict was announced to both clerics.

These two Kurdish Sunni clerics had previously been summoned multiple times by the same court for their public support of the people during the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising.

They were repeatedly summoned by security agencies in Sardasht in 2022 for standing in solidarity with protesters, the wounded, and families of victims of state violence. Following threats and pressure by security forces, they faced fabricated legal and security charges in the Special Clergy Court.

Both clerics had also publicly expressed their opposition to the killing of Kurdish border porters (kolbars) in the Kurdistan region on multiple occasions.