Sherko Moarefi
A Kurdish activist executed in 2013 for “enmity against God,” despite international calls to save his life.
10/25/20251 min read
Sherko Moarefi was born in the Kurdish city of Baneh, in Iran’s Kurdistan Province. He was a political and social activist accused of being a member of the Kurdish opposition group Komala, a charge frequently used by Iranian authorities against Kurdish citizens.
Sherko was arrested in October 2008 and held in prison for five years. During that time, he was tortured and interrogated, forced to sign false confessions. His lawyer and family repeatedly requested a fair retrial, but the court ignored them.
On 4 November 2013, without prior notice, Sherko was executed in Saghez Prison. His family was not informed until after his death. Human rights organisations condemned the execution, calling it another example of Iran’s long-standing war against Kurdish identity and political freedom.
Sherko’s case shows how the regime labels peaceful Kurdish activism as “terrorism” and uses executions to intimidate and silence the Kurdish population.
