Bojnourd؛ Sentencing of Mehdi Pakmehr a Kurdish Artist to 6 Years and 3 Months of Imprisonment and 74 Lashes

June 14, 2026; "Mehdi Pakmehr", a Kurdish artist and singer from the city of "Bojnourd" in the province of "North Khorasan", who spent more than two months in arbitrary detention by security agencies during the protests of December 2025/January 2026, was recently sentenced to a total of 6 years and 3 months of imprisonment and 74 lashes in two separate cases in the Revolutionary and Criminal Courts of the city of "Bojnourd". He must also report himself to the prison of the city of "Bojnourd" by June 16, 2026, to execute the sentence issued by the Criminal Court.

An informed source, while confirming this news, told Kurdpa that the issuance of these sentences took place while Mr. Pakmehr was tried in only two court sessions lasting a few minutes, without access to a lawyer and without enjoying the right to an effective defense. According to this source, after appealing the initial ruling of the Revolutionary Court, he faced an escalation of his punishment, and his one-year suspended imprisonment sentence was turned into one year of discretionary imprisonment. During his two months of detention, while being injured, this Kurdish artist was subjected to physical and psychological torture and was deprived of the right to meet his family, make phone calls, and access a lawyer.

6 Years and 3 Months of Discretionary Imprisonment and 74 Lashes for Mehdi Pakmehr:

Based on the information from this source, two separate cases were formed against Mehdi Pakmehr in the Revolutionary Court and the Criminal Court of the city of "Bojnourd". In one of the branches of the Revolutionary Court of the city of "Bojnourd", on the charges of "propaganda against the state" and "assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national and international security", he was initially sentenced to four years of discretionary imprisonment and one year of suspended imprisonment; however, after appealing the issued verdict, his sentence was escalated and increased to 5 years of discretionary imprisonment.

Furthermore, Branch Two of the Criminal Court of the city of "Bojnourd", headed by Judge "Moradi", sentenced him to one year and three months of imprisonment and 74 lashes on the charge of "disrupting public order through creating an uproar and commotion". Counting the days of his previous detention, he must report himself to prison in the coming days to execute this sentence.

Regarding the process of reviewing the case, this informed source says that the court sessions were held during the period of temporary detention and after his transfer to the prison of the city of "Bojnourd"; a time when the signs of torture and inflicted physical injuries had decreased to some extent. According to him, Mr. Pakmehr participated in only one session of the Revolutionary Court lasting a few minutes, and was scheduled to participate in another session, but due to the circumstances resulting from the 40-day war and some centers being exposed to attacks, the detainees were informed that participating in the second session was not necessary and that the very first session would suffice. Ultimately, the sentence of 5 years of discretionary imprisonment was issued based on that same short session.

In the Criminal Court file as well, after his temporary release, he participated in only one session lasting a few minutes, and according to this source, the judge issued his ruling without paying attention to his defenses. Additionally, due to financial inability, he did not have the possibility of choosing a lawyer, and the court did not appoint any lawyer for him either.

Arbitrary Detention of Mehdi Pakmehr While Being Injured During a Armed Raid on His Cafe:

On January 9, 2026, following a violent and armed raid by security forces on the cafe of his workplace, Mehdi Pakmehr, along with several other individuals, was arrested without being presented with a judicial warrant and was transferred to one of the security detention centers of the city of "Bojnourd". He spent the first few days in the security detention center under interrogation and severe physical and psychological torture, and was subsequently transferred to the quarantine ward of the prison of the city of "Bojnourd"; a ward which in recent months was dedicated to holding political prisoners due to the increase in the number of detainees from the protests.

After about two months of detention, this Kurdish artist was temporarily released upon depositing a bail of 6 billion Tomans. At the time of his arrest, he was injured in the leg due to being hit by pellet bullets and was spending his recovery period.

According to this source, on January 4 or 5, 2026, Mr. Pakmehr had left home with his friends for shopping, at a time when public protests were concurrently underway. Since he is considered a well-known face among the people, the repressive forces fired tear gas toward him and his friends in the street. Following their protest against this action, one of his friends was arrested and severely beaten inside the vehicle of the security forces.

After this incident, in protest against the behavior of the security forces, Mehdi Pakmehr sat alone in front of a shop in the center of the city. According to this source, when some individuals asked him to leave the location and promised that his arrested friend would be released, he left there. However, a short while later, security and plainclothes forces set that same shop on fire to attribute this action to him and his friends. Upon witnessing the fire, he acted alone to extinguish the flames, and during this process, suffered burns on his hand and leg.

Two days later, on January 9, a large number of security forces raided his cafe in an armed manner. During this operation, several pellet bullets were shot at his leg from close range, and he was arrested while being injured.

This source says the raid of the security forces was accompanied by extensive violence, the beating of those present, the destruction of property, and a full search of the cafe. According to him, even 13 and 14-year-old teenagers present at the location were severely beaten, and a significant portion of the equipment and items of the cafe was destroyed.

Background of Arrest and Cultural Activities of Mehdi Pakmehr:

Mehdi Pakmehr is one of the well-known artists and singers of the Kurds of Khorasan in the city of "Bojnourd". He has been active for years in the field of cultural activities and promoting the Kurdish language and culture, and according to local sources, has repeatedly been placed under pressure, summoned, and interrogated even for wearing Kurdish clothes.

Previously, this artist had a background of arrest, particularly during the Jin, Jiyan, Azadî protests in the year 2022/2023, as well as in prior years. His father, two of his paternal uncles, and a number of his other relatives also lost their lives during the Iran-Iraq war.

Currently, in addition to his artistic activity, Mehdi Pakmehr is the owner of a cafe and is also active in the field of boxing.