Farzad Kamangar
A Kurdish Iranian teacher executed in May 2010 after a brief and unfair trial, his case highlighted torture, forced confessions and the targeting of ethnic-minority activists.
10/25/20251 min read
Farzad Kamangar was born in Kamyaran, Kurdistan Province, Iran in 1975. He worked as a teacher, poet, journalist and social-worker at the grassroots level. In July 2006 he was arrested by the Iranian security forces on charges related to alleged membership in a Kurdish opposition group.
At his trial, held by a Revolutionary Court in February 2008, the hearing reportedly lasted about five minutes and no real evidence was provided. His lawyer described the trial as wholly unfair.
During his incarceration he was repeatedly tortured: reports include beatings, flogging, electric shocks and prolonged solitary confinement.
On 9 May 2010 he was executed in Evin Prison in Tehran without prior warning to his family or lawyers, and his body was buried in an undisclosed location.
His Kurdish identity and role as a teacher made him a symbolic figure: his case illustrated how the Iranian regime targets not only armed opposition but also non-violent Kurdish activists, educators and community leaders. His execution served as both punishment and warning to others from ethnic minorities engaged in activism.
