For more of the latest Kurdish news, see these sources:
ANF English: https://anfenglishmobile.com/
Hawar News: https://hawarnews.com/en/
Rojhelat: http://rojhelat.info/en/
Komun Academy:
CHRI
https://www.iranhumanrights.org/
Iran Human Rights
Kurdistan Press Agency
https://kurdpa.net/en
Kurdistan24
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en
Rudaw
https://www.rudaw.net/english
Al-Monitor
https://www.al-monitor.com
KHRN
http://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en
KMMK
Hengaw
https://hengaw.net/en
NEWS
- Political Prisoner Maryam Akbari-Monfared Behind Bars for 12 Years Without Furlough
- Iraqi ministry proposes taking Iran to The Hague over water
- Kurdish labour activist taken to security detention centre in Sanandaj
- Iran tests drones amid simmering tensions with Azerbaijan
- Iran, Turkey agree to ramp up security cooperation on borders
- Iran court ignores case of Kurdish activists accused of ‘armed insurrection’
- Female prisoners stage riot in Urmia Prison, East Kurdistan
- Kurdish woman writer returned to prison after ‘wrong order’ by prosecutor
- Mahabad; Five citizens detained by security forces
- Iran postpones execution of man arrested aged 17: report
- Four Baha’is Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Trying to Access Higher Education
- Iran kicks off air defense drills amid tensions with Israel, Azerbaijan
- Pro-Iran parties denounce ‘scam’ after Iraq election setback
- Bipartisan Congressional Group Urges Biden to Support Internet Freedom in Iran
- Urmia Prison; Anwar Chalshi and Kamel Seydan Maskan were sentenced 14 (7) years in prison
- Iran’s first president Abolhassan Banisadr dies
- Iran court sentences jailed Kurdish psychiatrist to one more year in prison
- Iran: Kurdish women activists protest murder of young woman
- Greece Anwar Nillufary Kurdish Refugee goes on strike for third time
- Iran again warns opposition groups based in Kurdistan Region
- Elderly in Iran’s Kurdistan scrape by during financial crisis, pandemic
- Iran begins war games near Azerbaijan border
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
REPORTS
- Special report: Execution anniversary of Kurdish political prisoners Habibollah Golparipour and Reza Mamadi
- 2021 Human Rights Interim Report
- A report on Faezeh’s murder: The witch who rebels against her father
- 226 Executions Recorded in 2021: Sharp Rise in Drug Executions
- Woman and the death penalty in Iran: 2010 – October 2021
- September monthly report: Human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan
———————
NEWS
- Political Prisoner Maryam Akbari-Monfared Behind Bars for 12 Years Without Furlough
25 October 2021 | IHR
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, political prisoner Maryam Akbari-Monfared has been under increasing pressure since being prison exiled to Semnan Prison.
She was exiled from Evin Prison to Semnan Prison on 9 March 2021 and has no phone access to her children.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/4947/
- Iraqi ministry proposes taking Iran to The Hague over water
24 October 2021 | Rudaw
Iraq’s water ministry has suggested Baghdad file a case against Iran with the International Court of Justice in order to guarantee its right to shared water resources, state media reported Sunday.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/241020212
- Kurdish labour activist taken to security detention centre in Sanandaj
22 October 2021 | KHRN
The detained Kurdish labour activist Osman Esmaeili was transferred to a security detention centre in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, on 21 October, after Branch 2 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Saqqez held a hearing for the explanation of the charges against him.
Kurdish labour activist taken to security detention centre in Sanandaj
- Iran tests drones amid simmering tensions with Azerbaijan
21 October 2021 | Al-Monitor
The air force of the Iranian army launched a major drill on Oct. 21 involving several bases nationwide, the latest in a series of muscle-flexing gestures by the Islamic Republic in recent weeks.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/10/iran-tests-drones-amid-simmering-tensions-azerbaijan
- Iran, Turkey agree to ramp up security cooperation on borders
21 October 2021 | Rudaw
Ankara and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding to boost security cooperation along their borders on Wednesday at a time when both countries are fighting Kurdish armed groups based in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/21102021
- Iran court ignores case of Kurdish activists accused of ‘armed insurrection’
21 October 2021 | KHRN
Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mahabad, West Azerbaijan province, continues to prolong the review of the case of three Kurdish activists …who were arrested nine months ago, are accused of “armed insurrection” (baghi). The Mahabad court presided over by Judge Javad Gholami is yet to review their case despite the appeals of their families.
- Female prisoners stage riot in Urmia Prison, East Kurdistan
19 October 2021 | ANF
Women detainees in Urmia prison in East Kurdistan have been on strike for three days to protest the increasing crackdown and torture against prisoners.
It is reported the prison administration forced women prisoners to attend the courses offered by the administration.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/women/female-prisoners-stage-riot-in-urmia-prison-east-kurdistan-55646
- Kurdish woman writer returned to prison after ‘wrong order’ by prosecutor
17 October 2021 | KHRN
Authorities in Kachouei Prison of Karaj took Kurdish woman writer and political prisoner Mozhgan Kavousi out of prison for several hours on 13 October and returned her to the prison.
After being taken back, the political prisoner said in a short phone call with her family that the transfer had taken place following a “wrong order” by the prosecutor.
- Mahabad; Five citizens detained by security forces
17 October 2021 | Kurdpa
On Saturday, October 9th, five citizens named “Farooq Soleimanpour” son of Soleiman, “Masoud Soleimanpour” son of Salim, “Mohsen Soleimani” son of Qader, “Diar Soleimanpour” son of Khezr from “Khorkhoreh” village and “Arash Farshadfar” son of Fattah from Mahabad. They were arrested by security forces…without issuing any court order.
https://kurdpa.net/en/news/mahabad-five-citizens-detained-by-security-forces
- Iran postpones execution of man arrested aged 17: report
16 October 2021 | K24
Iran has again postponed the planned execution of a man arrested at age 17, media in the country reported on Saturday, after international appeals for his life to be spared. “Arman Abdolali’s sentence… has been stopped again and the young man was sent back to prison…”
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/25936-Iran-postpones-execution-of-man-arrested-aged-17:-report
- Four Baha’is Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Trying to Access Higher Education
14 October 2021 | CHRI
The Baha’i faith community is one of the most severely persecuted religious minorities in Iran. Iran’s government is unabashed in its propagating of false narratives about the community and has for decades blocked Baha’is from obtaining prominent positions in Iranian society as well as barred Baha’is from accessing higher education.
- Iran kicks off air defense drills amid tensions with Israel, Azerbaijan
13 October 2021 | Al-Monitor
Iran’s Army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps kicked off an annual air defense exercise in the country’s central desert on Tuesday to demonstrate Tehran’s ability to defend “sensitive” sites, an Iranian commander said.
- Pro-Iran parties denounce ‘scam’ after Iraq election setback
13 October 2021 | K24
Two days after Iraq’s legislative election, pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim parties and armed groups on Tuesday denounced early poll results as “manipulation” and a “scam”. Sunday’s election – the fifth in the war-scarred country since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein – was marked by record-low turnout of 41 percent.
- Bipartisan Congressional Group Urges Biden to Support Internet Freedom in Iran
11 October 2021 | CHRI
A bipartisan congressional group today urged U.S. President Joe Biden to support the free flow of information and internet freedom for civil society in Iran by clarifying and updating allowable activities under the U.S. Treasury’s General License D-1 (GL D-1), which exempts the sale of personal communications tools from sanctions on Iran.
- Urmia Prison; Anwar Chalshi and Kamel Seydan Maskan were sentenced 14 (7) years in prison
11 October 2021 | Kurdpa
Two Kurdish citizens, Anwar Chalshi from the village of Lorzini and Kamel Seydan Maskan (Jabarvand) from the village of Cherikabad in Margavar Rural District, were each sentenced by the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia to 7 years in prison. The court issued the sentence for these two citizens on charges of “acting against national security through membership in one of the Kurdish opposition parties of the Iranian government”…
- Iran’s first president Abolhassan Banisadr dies
09 October 2021 | Rudaw
Iran’s first president after the 1979 Islamic revolution, Abolhassan Banisadr, died in a Paris hospital on Saturday aged 88, after decades of exile in France following his dismissal by parliament.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/09102021
- Iran court sentences jailed Kurdish psychiatrist to one more year in prison
08 October 2021 | KHRN
Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Isfahan sentenced the jailed Kurdish psychiatrist and translator, Dr Nasser Hemmati, to one year in prison in a second lawsuit on 20 September.
The court charged Dr Hemmati with “propaganda against the state”.
- Iran: Kurdish women activists protest murder of young woman
07 October 2021 | KHRN
A group of Kurdish women activists gathered before the courthouse of Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, on 6 October, protesting against the murder of Faezeh Malekinia by her father.
Faezeh Malekinia was a 22-year-old single woman from the Korkoreh (also Dowlatabad) village of Sanandaj. On 3 October, she died of burns in Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj.
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/iran-kurdish-women-activists-protest-murder-of-young-woman/
- Greece Anwar Nillufary Kurdish Refugee goes on strike for third time
07 October 2021 | Hengaw
According to the report received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Mr. Nillufary as a result of UNHCR’s drastic failure in responding to his demands for a durable and sustainable solution has entered his 3rd Hunger Strike on Tuesday, September 14, 2021….in front of the UNHCR office.
https://hengaw.net/en/news/greece-/-anwar-nillufary-kurdish-refugee-goes-on-strike-for-third-time
- Iran again warns opposition groups based in Kurdistan Region
04 October 2021 | K24
The Iranian Foreign Ministry renewed its warning against Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region on Monday. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh “warned that Erbil and Baghdad must know that Iran’s strategic patience has a limit and this path couldn’t continue anymore,” the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
- Elderly in Iran’s Kurdistan scrape by during financial crisis, pandemic
03 October 2021 | Rudaw
Latfullah Karimi, 65, walks the streets of Sanandaj from sunrise to sunset, collecting plastic bottles, soda cans, and scraps of bread from the garbage in order to make a living for his family. With no pension, he is one of Iran’s many senior citizens scraping by during a financial crisis and global health pandemic.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/031020211
- Iran begins war games near Azerbaijan border
01 October 2021 | K24
The Iranian army’s ground forces began holding manoeuvres near the country’s border with Azerbaijan on Friday, state media reported, despite criticism from its neighbour. The exercises took place in open areas in northwestern Iran, said state television, which showed tanks, howitzers and helicopters firing at targets on the ground.
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/25754-Iran-begins-war-games-near-Azerbaijan-border
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
20 October 2021 | Rojhelat
Ramin Saba, PJAK The authoritarians, violent, nationalist and perpetrators of mass murder and repression will never be forgiven by the court of history. Abul Hassan Bani Sadr, the first president of the Iranian provincial government, is one of those persons who was particularly involved inhumanely in murdering and repressing the Kurdish people in East Kurdistan. http://rojhelat.info/en/?p=10820
REPORTS
- Special report: Execution anniversary of Kurdish political prisoners Habibollah Golparipour and Reza Mamadi
25 October 2021 | KHRN
On 25 October 2013, Habibollah Golparipour in Orumiyeh Central Prison and Reza Mamadi in Salmas Prison were suddenly transferred to solitary confinement without the prior notice of their lawyers and families. The following morning, the two Kurdish political prisoners were executed. Security and judicial officials refused to hand over the bodies to the families and did not even specify their burial locations.
- 2021 Human Rights Interim Report
24 October 2021 | KMMK
This report provides up-to-date data and analysis on the situation of human rights in Kurdistan of Iran from January 1, 2021 to October 25th, 2021
https://kmmk-ge.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021-Interim-Annual-Report-KMMK-G-.pdf
- A report on Faezeh’s murder: The witch who rebels against her father
19 October 2021 | KHRN
On 3 October, a physician at Kowsar Hospital in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, named Iman Navabi, drew attention to a femicide case on his personal Instagram account… “They brought a 22-year-old girl whose father burned 85% of her body with gasoline. And it was because she had a boyfriend.”
- 226 Executions Recorded in 2021: Sharp Rise in Drug Executions
10 October 2021 | IHR
The “World Day Against the Death Penalty” unifies the global abolitionist movement and mobilises civil society, political leaders and public opinion to support the call for universal abolition of capital punishment.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/4917/
- Woman and the death penalty in Iran: 2010 – October 2021
08 October 2021 | IHR
Iran Human Rights is providing a report on the woman executed in Iran over the last 12 years (2010-2021).
https://iranhr.net/media/files/Women_and_the_Death_Penalty_2021.pdf
- September monthly report: Human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan
01 October 2021 | KHRN
Investigations carried out by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) show that many Kurdish civilians and activists from Iran have become victims of human rights violations in September 2021.
https:// kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/september-monthly-report-human-rights-violations-in-iranian-kurdistan/