Mohammad Faraji and Raouf Sheikh-Maroofi, two Kurdish political prisoners from Bukan and among those arrested during the Jina Revolutionary Uprising, are now facing a serious risk of execution after their death sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court.
According to Kolbarnews, in recent days the death sentences of Mohammad Faraji and Raouf Sheikh-Maroofi were upheld by the Supreme Court after passing through various stages of judicial proceedings and were sent to the Enforcement of Sentences Branch for implementation.
These two prisoners had previously been sentenced to death in two separate stages by the Revolutionary Courts of Mahabad and Miandoab. With the final confirmation of their sentences by the Supreme Court, concerns regarding their imminent execution have intensified.
According to obtained information, the first death sentence against these two political prisoners was issued in March 2026 by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court of Mahabad.
Although this ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court, the case was referred to one of the branches of the Revolutionary Court in Miandoab for retrial. That court once again sentenced them to death, and the sentence was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court.
Mohammad Faraji and Raouf Sheikh-Maroofi are currently being held in Bukan Prison, and their families have expressed deep concern about the possibility of their execution.
Raouf Sheikh-Maroofi was arrested on December 26, 2022, and Mohammad Faraji was arrested on February 22 of the same year, without the presentation of a judicial warrant by security forces. Following their arrests, they were transferred to the detention center of the Urmia Intelligence Department. Reports published at the time indicated that the two prisoners were subjected to severe security pressure and physical and psychological torture in order to force them to accept accusations of involvement in the killing of a security force member in Bukan.
After the completion of the interrogation period, on June 10, 2023, these two political prisoners were transferred from the detention center of the Urmia Intelligence Department to Bukan Prison, where they have remained in detention ever since.
It was also revealed on January 13, 2025, that Mohammad Faraji and Raouf Sheikh-Maroofi were facing charges of “corruption on earth” without access to their chosen legal counsel and were at risk of receiving death sentences. According to available information, during nearly the first year of their detention, the two prisoners were deprived of the right to a lawyer of their own choosing, and their families were also unaware of the identities of the court-appointed lawyers assigned to their case.
During the past more than three years, security and judicial authorities have also prevented the acceptance of bail and the granting of temporary release for these two political prisoners, and they have spent the entire period in detention.
Mohammad Faraji and Raouf Sheikh-Maroofi were ultimately sentenced to death in March 2026 by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court of Mahabad on charges of “enmity against God” and “corruption on earth.” The issued verdicts were officially served to them in Bukan Prison on March 4, 2026.
