Renowned Kurdish language activist freed in Iran

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Zahra Mohammadi, the Kurdish language activist, who had been jailed over her activism for teaching the Kurdish language, was freed on Friday night in Iran, according to a woman.

Mohammadi has co-founded a Kurdish Socio-Cultural Association called Nojin, through which she was advocating for the cultural rights of the Kurdish community in Iran.

She was initially arrested in 2019 and spent about seven months in the prison before being released on a bail. Mohammadi was rearrested in January 2022 and sentenced to five years in prison on the charge of forming an “anti-state group”.

The activist announced that she had been freed by the authority without any prior notice to herself or her lawyer.

“I have previously informed the judiciary that I would not seek amnesty…because I believe in my path,” Mohammadi said in the footage, adding she would continue her efforts in teaching Kurdish.

She described the release as "dismissal". 

However, Persian is the official state language, and teaching and practicing other languages are allowed per the country’s constitution, but members of the minority groups usually cite they are harassed when exercising their cultural rights.

The British media giant BBC placed Mohammadi on its list of 100 inspiring women in 2022.