Bukan: Mehdi Majidi, Political Prisoner, Arrested and Returned to Prison Following Revocation of Electronic Ankle Monitor

October 5, 2025; Yesterday, October 4, 2025, Mehdi Majidi, a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to three years of discretionary imprisonment, was arrested following the revocation of his sentence implementation under the supervision of the electronic monitoring system (ankle monitor) and was returned to the Bukan Central Prison to serve the remaining one year and six months of his 3-year sentence. Majidi had been released on January 18, 2025, after serving eight months of his sentence, following a decision by the West Azerbaijan Appeals Court and the installation of an electronic ankle monitor within a one-kilometer radius of the Bukan prison. However, after seven months of release under electronic supervision, the court revoked his conditional release due to "exiting the designated range and frequent power-offs of the ankle monitor device."

According to an informed source speaking to Kurdpa, the designation of a radius of only one kilometer for the electronic ankle monitor created severe occupational and livelihood restrictions for Mehdi Majidi. During the seven months of release under electronic supervision, he was unable to find a steady job due to this restriction and was forced to engage in temporary and freelance work. Additionally, his wife has turned to street vending to provide for the family's living expenses.

Revocation of the Electronic Ankle Monitor and Return of Political Prisoner Mehdi Majidi to Prison According to Official Documents:

Based on the ruling of Branch 1 of the Appeals Court of West Azerbaijan Province, a copy of which has reached Kurdpa, on September 8, 2025, this court—citing the request of the Assistant Prosecutor for the Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office of Bukan—issued an order to revoke Mehdi Majidi's release under electronic system supervision. The ruling states that he "failed to charge the device, exited the designated range, frequently powered off the ankle monitor, and ignored warnings." Accordingly, the court decided to revoke the electronic supervision and return him to Bukan Prison to endure the remainder of his sentence. The issued verdict is final, and its implementation has been notified to Branch 1 of the Criminal Sentence Execution of Bukan. This ruling was issued by two counselors of the Appeals Court, Sayfali Hosseini-Azar and Yahya Rahimi.

Furthermore, according to a copy of the notification from the Prisons, Security, and Corrective Measures Organization of the Country dated September 7, 2025, the violations of political prisoner Mehdi Majidi were reported to the Assistant Prosecutor of Branch 1 of the Criminal Sentence Execution of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office of Bukan. This report states that he committed "failure to charge the device, exiting the designated range, loss of connection with the system, frequent power-offs of the ankle monitor, and ignoring warnings from monitoring experts," and that the warnings to comply with laws and regulations were not effective for him. This department forwarded the violations to the Assistant Prosecutor for notice and the issuance of necessary orders in accordance with Article 24 of the executive regulations for electronic monitoring.

At the end of the letter, Mehdi Majidi committed that from the mentioned date, he would "comply with all laws and regulations of the center, not leave the designated area, charge his ankle monitor on time, and attend to summons," otherwise "he will be dealt with according to the law."

Violation of the Rights of Kurdish Political Prisoner Mehdi Majidi; Arrest and Deprivation of Livelihood:

Despite Mehdi Majidi's commitment to comply with prison laws and the electronic ankle monitor regulations, government authorities ignored it and re-arrested him. This action not only eliminated his right to employment and providing for a living but also forced his wife into street vending to secure a minimum livelihood. Repeated arrests and pressure on political prisoners in Iran are a clear violation of human rights and demonstrate the trampling of the right to freedom, the right to work, and the right to a humane life for individuals who are targeted for suppression solely due to their beliefs and political activities.

Arrest and Sentencing of Mehdi Majidi (2023);

Mehdi Majidi was arrested by security forces on Monday, November 6, 2023, and was transferred to one of the security detention centers in Urmia for interrogation. This Kurdish youth was transferred to Bukan Prison after the completion of the interrogation phases and was temporarily released on December 28, 2023, upon posting a bail of 500 million Tomans.

On April 25, 2024, this Kurdish citizen was sentenced by Branch 101 of the Criminal Court Two of Bukan to three years of discretionary imprisonment on the charge of "support for the government of Israel," one year of discretionary imprisonment for "propaganda against the regime," and eight months of imprisonment for "insulting the leader." Based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the law related to multiple crimes, the harshest punishment is applicable to Mr. Majidi.

On Sunday, June 23, 2024, the sentence of three years of discretionary imprisonment for Mehdi Majidi was upheld exactly as issued by the Urmia Appeals Court.

Compiled by: Awin Mostafazadeh