Tohid Darvish

In recent days, Tohid Darvish, a Kurdish political prisoner who was arrested during the public protests in Tabriz in October 2022 and accused of "moharebeh" (waging war against God), attempted suicide in protest of his uncertain situation in Tabriz Central Prison. As a result of his suicide attempt with a "sharp object," part of his neck was cut, and after being transferred to the prison infirmary and receiving a dressing, he was returned to his ward.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network has learned that the court session for this political prisoner was held on June 14, 2023, in the second branch of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court on charges of "moharebeh." However, no verdict has been issued yet, and this political prisoner remains in difficult conditions at Tabriz Central Prison in a state of uncertainty.

In protest of his continued uncertain situation in prison, he tried to cut the vein in his neck with a "sharp object," but with the intervention of some of his fellow inmates, he was transferred to the prison infirmary while suffering from severe neck bleeding. Without being hospitalized in the infirmary and only after a simple dressing, he was returned to his ward. His mental condition has been reported as poor following the suicide attempt and continued uncertainty in prison.

Tohid (Loqman) Darvish was arrested by security forces in Tabriz on September 29, 2022, and transferred to a security detention center in the city. In this security detention center, he was subjected to physical and psychological torture to extract forced confessions regarding "participation in setting fire to the Sepah Bank." After the interrogation period ended, he was transferred to Tabriz Central Prison.

Tohid Darvish is 27 years old and was a Snapp driver. He is the father of two children and hails from the village of "Gernavik" in the Qatur district of Khoy County. He and his family were forced to relocate to Khoy and reside in this city after losing their home in the March 2020 earthquake.

In January of last year, this political prisoner was sentenced by the first branch of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court to 10 years in prison along with exile to Ahvaz Prison and ordered to pay 50 billion tomans in damages to the bank on charges of "moharebeh." In mid-March of last year, the 9th branch of the Supreme Court, after reviewing the appeal request of the lawyers of this political prisoner, acquitted him of the charge of "moharebeh" and, after overturning this ruling, referred the case to an equivalent branch for further review.