Arsalan Khodkam

Arsalan Khodakam (Sohrabi) is a former member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and joined IRGC after leaving the party in the 1380s (2001-2011). He was arrested and sentenced to death on the charge of "spying for the Democratic Party"

<coverage-outsourcing id='23844'> He was a member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan in the 1990s. He then received a letter of clemency and came back to Iran </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='23845'> He joined the IRGC </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='23843'> <reference source='https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/fa/news-fa/prisoners-fa/2023/10/13/p29918/'> He was arrested. According to KHRN reporting, he spent 37 days in the Ramezan detention center of IRGC in Urumiyah. This center is known for severe torture of prisoners </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='25657'> Nashmil Qovitasi was arrested around this date a few days after her husband, Arsalan Khodkam was arrested. She was sent to the detention house ran by Urumiyah’s IRGC. She was released on bail after about a month. About seven months later, Urumiyah’s military court tried Ms Qovitasi without a lawyer, convicted her of “gathering and collusion for acting against national security” and sentenced her to a year in prison. In reports published by Kurdistan Human Rights Network, the reason for reduction of the sentence were not declared </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='23846'> He was transferred to Urumiyah prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='23847'> According to Kurdistan Human Rights Network, his appeal request was accepted by the branch two of the Supreme Court and the case was sent to Tehran military prosecutors who reduced the sentence to 10 years in prison. The following spring, Hrana reported that the information that were given to father orally were incorrect. Not only the appeal request was denied but the Amnesty Commission had also rejected the request </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='24690'> His family went to Tehran military prosecutors to find out IRGC’s Intelligence Department had written a letter to protest the nullification of his execution order, HRANA reported </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='25684'> According to Iran Human Rights, the Supreme Court didn’t accept the appeal request and sent the case to the enforcement department. This political prisoner was thus placed on death row </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='30578'> "The IRGC is insisting on the execution. We can no longer keep Arsalan in prison, and he will be executed soon.", The Urmia Military Court told Mr. Khodakam's family. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='30579'> <reference source='https://iranwire.com/fa/features/38311'> According to IranWire, Arsalan Khodkam is in danger of being executed. "He made a forced confession to reduce the pressure and harassment on his wife and his family.", Mr. Khodkam's relatives told Iranwire. Arsalan Khodkam's family has repeatedly contacted the judiciary and Supreme Leader's office for requesting sentence review, which has been unsuccessful. It seems that IRGC emphasizes on his immediate execution. According to Ehsan, (one of Mr. Khodkam's relatives), he lost 40 kilograms during interrogation. According to information provided by the case's attorney, he has been alleged with 54 charges. Iranian officials have told Mr. Khodkam's father that Arsalan Khodkam was in contact with a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) via Instagram. "Communicating with Instagram is not reasonable for a veteran organization," Ehsan told IranWire. Mansour Sohrabi, an environmental researcher living in Germany, and Arsalan Khodakam's cousin told IranWirer: Even if the accusations against Arsalan are true it's not fair for him to be executed. Some people have been arrested on similar charges and sentenced to several years in prison, but the Kurds have always suffered much more repression </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>