IRAN/ROJHELAT: NEWS BRIEFING, 01 – 28 February 2023
For more of the latest Kurdish news, see these sources:
ANF English https://anfenglishmobile.com/
Al-Monitor https://www.al-monitor.com
CHRI https://www.iranhumanrights.org/
Esta https://esta.krd/en
Hawar News https://hawarnews.com/en/
Hengaw https://hengaw.net/en
HRANA https://www.en-hrana.org
Iran Human Rights https://iranhr.net/en/
KHRN http://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en
KMMK https://kmmk-ge.org/
Kurdistan Press Agency https://kurdpa.net/en
Kurdistan24 https://www.kurdistan24.net/en
Rudaw https://www.rudaw.net/english
Sign the Petition for Women’s Rights in Iran on International Women’s Day
https://www.change.org/supportIranianwomen
NEWS
- Tehran: Kurdish student temporarily banned from studies
- Kolbars: One died, six injured in Iran’s western Kermanshah
- Teacher in Sine detained for speaking in Kurdish
- Seven Kurdish prisoners accused of Muharebeh are under severe psychological pressure in Urmia prison
- Iran frees Spanish woman detained since November
- Daughter of Qazi Muhammed dies in exile
- In less than 24 hours…another earthquake hits southwestern Iran
- The Iranian government forces raped a teenager after summoning him
- Iran executes Kurdish politician Ahmadi
- Sohaila Mohammadi, a Kurdish political prisoner, committed suicide in the Urmia prison
- Iran Sentences German Citizen to Death to Intimidate Iranian Diaspora, German Government
- EU slaps fifth wave of sanctions on Iran, targeting 32 individuals
- UK-based Iranian television channel closes offices in London due to threats
- A man from Saqqez was killed by direct fire from government forces for writing slogans
- ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ resistance in Rojhilat Kurdistan and Iran continues
- Iran prosecutes woman for ‘disrespecting’ headscarf
- Duran Kalkan: 2022 was the year of women’s resistance
- Kurdish language teacher in Iran who had been jailed was freed
- Another Kurdish child from Javanrud was kidnapped by Iranian government forces, bringing the total number of kidnappings in this city to 29
- Amnesty International says at least 14 people at risk of execution in Rojhilat and Iran
- Appeal court; Farzaneh Saidi was sentenced to imprisonment, fine and additional punishments
- The fate of two sisters held at the Correction and Rehabilitation Center remains unknown
- Hajipour’s ‘Baraye’, anthem of Iran’s protests, wins a Grammy award
- Iranian film-maker Panahi released on bail after hunger strike
- Iranian state has hanged more than 50 people since beginning of this year
- To serve her prison term, lawyer Kazhal Watanpour was transferred to Ilam prison
- Young couple in Iran sentenced to over ten years for dancing in front of Freedom Tower
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
- One Girl Dead, 400 Children Poisoned Amid Attacks on Schools in Iran
- As Germany’s relations sour with Iran, pressure grows on Berlin to do more
- Iran: Scores Blinded as Security Forces Aim Guns at Protesters’ Eyes
- Joint Letter by 39 NGOs Calls on EU Countries to Summon Iranian Ambassadors in Unison on International Women’s Day
- Analysis: Khamenei’s “Pardon” Is a Public Relations Stunt That Cedes No Ground to the Protesters
- Rushdie says ‘very difficult’ to write after stabbing
- Islamic Republic Systematically Targeted Protester Eyes in Nationwide Protests
- Kurds in Iran welcome EU move towards IRGC terror label
- Children’s Rights Advocates, Mainly Women, Targeted in Crackdown on Anti-State Protests in Iran
REPORTS
- Live updates: nationwide protests
- 1849 Kolbars have been killed and wounded in the past 11 years
- Recommendations for the International Community on Iran
- The Hengaw legal team’s exclusive report on the government forces’ abduction of
- Human Rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan
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NEWS
- Tehran: Kurdish student temporarily banned from studies
28 February 2023 | KHRN
The disciplinary committee of Kharazmi University in Tehran has approved a temporary ban on education for one semester for Zana Sojoudi, an undergraduate student of physical education studies, Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned.
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/tehran-kurdish-student-temporarily-banned-from-studies/
- Kolbars: One died, six injured in Iran’s western Kermanshah
27 February 2023 | KHRN
Mersad Darvishi, a 19-year-old kolbar who was severely injured yesterday along with five other kolbars in a car accident in the Shwankareh mountain pass in Ravansar, Kermanshah province, passed away today due to the severity of his injuries at Kermanshah’s Taleghani Hospital.
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/kolbars-one-died-six-injured-in-irans-western-kermanshah/
- Teacher in Sine detained for speaking in Kurdish
26 February 2023 | ANF
Nûjin Cultural Center announced that one of the members of the institution, Kurdish teacher Ûmê Musîr Penayi, was detained by Iranian forces in Sine on 23 February.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/teacher-in-sine-detained-for-speaking-in-kurdish-65723
- Seven Kurdish prisoners accused of Muharebeh are under severe psychological pressure in Urmia prison
26 February 2023 | Hengaw
Karvan Shahiparvaneh, Faryad Hamzeshour, Farzad Mahmoodpour, Shahram Maarouf Mowla, Reza Islam Dust, and the brothers, Farhad and Farzad Tahazadeh, the prisoners who have been accused by the judicial system of Muharebeh, are spending difficult mental and physical conditions in Urmia prison.
- Iran frees Spanish woman detained since November
26 February 2023 | Rudaw
Iran released a Spanish woman who had been detained in the country since November, Spain’s foreign minister confirmed on Sunday. Ana Baneira Suarez, 24, was detained in November amid the nationwide protests that engulfed Iran over the death of a young Kurdish woman, Zhina Amini, while in police custody two months prior.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/26022023
- Daughter of Qazi Muhammed dies in exile
25 February 2023 | ANF
Süheyla Qazi, the daughter of Qazi Muhammed, the founder of the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad, passed away on Friday in Bonn. Süheyla Qazi, who was born in Mahabad on 11 July 1941, died in exile where she had been living for more than 40 years.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/daughter-of-qazi-muhammed-dies-in-exile-65714
- In less than 24 hours…another earthquake hits southwestern Iran
24 February 2023 | ANHA
The Earthquake Center of the Institute of Geophysics at the University of Tehran announced that the earthquake occurred at 4:41 a.m. today, Wednesday, at a depth of 11 km from the ground.
- The Iranian government forces raped a teenager after summoning him
24 February 2023 | Hengaw
The Hengaw Organization has been informed that a 19-year-old teenager from Andimeshk, Khozestan Province, was raped by two police officers after being summoned to the Fata police station.
- Iran executes Kurdish politician Ahmadi
23 February 2023 | ANF
Kurdish politician and activist Serkut Ahmadi, who was imprisoned in Iran’s Kirmaşan Closed Prison for two years, was secretly executed by the Iranian state on Wednesday morning.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/human-rights/iran-executes-kurdish-politician-ahmadi-65672
- Sohaila Mohammadi, a Kurdish political prisoner, committed suicide in the Urmia prison
22 February 2023 | Hengaw
Soheila Mohammadi, a Kurdish political prisoner from Selmas who has been incarcerated in Urmia Central Prison for two years, committed suicide as a sign of protest against the rejection of her amnesty request.
- Iran Sentences German Citizen to Death to Intimidate Iranian Diaspora, German Government
21 February 2023 | CHRI
The death sentence against Iranian-born German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd is a blatant act of public intimidation by the Islamic Republic, aimed at silencing criticism of its repressive policies among the diaspora and the broader international community, said the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).
- EU slaps fifth wave of sanctions on Iran, targeting 32 individuals
20 February 2023 | Al-Monitor
European Union foreign ministers imposed on Monday sanctions that include a travel ban and asset freezes on 32 Iranian individuals and two entities over human rights violations. The decision was made during the ministers’ monthly meeting in Brussels.
- UK-based Iranian television channel closes offices in London due to threats
19 February 2023 | ANF
International TV, a UK-based Iranian broadcaster, has closed its offices in London fter mounting threats and safety concerns against its journalists from Tehran.
- A man from Saqqez was killed by direct fire from government forces for writing slogans
19 February 2023 | Hengaw
A man from Saqqez, named Mukhtar Fathi, was killed by direct fire from the police forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran for “writing a slogan,” and his family was threatened by government institutions not to publish the news.
- ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ resistance in Rojhilat Kurdistan and Iran continues
19 February 2023 | ANF
The ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ resistance in Iran and Rojhilat has been going on for five months. Despite all the oppression, detention, arrest, murder, torture and execution by the Iranian state forces, the protests continue.
- Iran prosecutes woman for ‘disrespecting’ headscarf
18 February 2023 | Rudaw
Iran’s judiciary is prosecuting a woman for “disrespecting” the Islamic headscarf after she threw hers to the ground during a public meeting, an Iranian news agency reported Saturday.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/18022023
- Duran Kalkan: 2022 was the year of women’s resistance
12 February 2023 | ANF
Duran Kalkan, member of the KCK Executive Council, spoke about the most important developments in 2022, strengths and weaknesses of the different parts of the global democratic forces and likely developments for the year 2023.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/duran-kalkan-2022-was-the-year-of-women-s-resistance-65461
- Kurdish language teacher in Iran who had been jailed was freed
11 February 2023 | ESTA
A Female Kurdish language teacher in Iran who had been sentenced to five years in prison for alleged national security charges was freed on Friday.
- Another Kurdish child from Javanrud was kidnapped by Iranian government forces, bringing the total number of kidnappings in this city to 29
11 February 2023 | Hengaw
Shahin Mohammadinoor, a Kurdish child from Javanroud, was transferred to an unknown location after being kidnapped by Iranian government forces. Thus, the number of child kidnapping cases in this city reached 29 in the past five months.
- Amnesty International says at least 14 people at risk of execution in Rojhilat and Iran
09 February 2023 | ANF
Amnesty International said that 14 people detained in different cities in Rojhilatê Kurdistan and Iran are at risk of execution.
- Appeal court; Farzaneh Saidi was sentenced to imprisonment, fine and additional punishments
07 February 2023 | Kurdpa
Farzaneh Saidi, a student from Ilam, was sentenced by the Court of Appeal to two years and two months of suspended imprisonment, a fine of 25 million tomans, a two-year ban from leaving the country, and the revocation of her passport.
https://kurdpa.net/en/news/2023/02/6
- The fate of two sisters held at the Correction and Rehabilitation Center remains unknown
07 February 2023 | Hengaw
Soma and Sirveh PurMohammadi, sisters and active members of the Nojin Cultural-Social Association who were arrested before by government institutions, are still being held at the Correction and Rehabilitation Center in Sanandaj.
- Hajipour’s ‘Baraye’, anthem of Iran’s protests, wins a Grammy award
06 February 2023 | Al-Monitor
An Iranian song that has transformed into the anthem of the protests in the country won a Grammy award Sunday night. “Baraye” by Shervin Hajipour won Best Song for Social Change at the award ceremony in Los Angeles. This is the first year the Grammys has given out this award.
- Iranian film-maker Panahi released on bail after hunger strike
04 February 2023 | ANF
Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi has been released on bail after starting a hunger strike to protest against his almost seven-month detention, a rights group and supporters said on Friday.
- Iranian state has hanged more than 50 people since beginning of this year
01 February 2023 | ANHA
The Iranian Human Rights Organization stated that the Iranian state executed more than 50 people in Iran in less than a month, while stressing that during the last three weeks the Iranian state executed 9 Kurdish citizens on various charges.
- To serve her prison term, lawyer Kazhal Watanpour was transferred to Ilam prison
01 February 2023 | Hengaw
During the Ilam popular resistance, Kazhal Watanpour, a law student pursuing her master’s degree and a supporter of women’s and children’s rights, was arrested and given a prison sentence. She has now been transferred to Ilam Central Prison to carry out her sentence.
- Young couple in Iran sentenced to over ten years for dancing in front of Freedom Tower
01 February 2023 | ANF
A young couple in Iran have been sentenced to ten and a half years each for making a dance video. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said that the so-called revolutionary court in Tehran accused the two, who are in their early 20s, of violating national security and found them guilty of spreading depravity.
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
- One Girl Dead, 400 Children Poisoned Amid Attacks on Schools in Iran
28 February 2023 | CHRI
Five months into Iran’s “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, in which girls and women were among hundreds killed at nationwide, anti-state protests, at least one girl has died amid hundreds of schoolchildren being deliberately poisoned in major cities including Tehran, Qom, Sari, Ardabil, Boroujerd, Torbat Jam, and Qoochan.
- As Germany’s relations sour with Iran, pressure grows on Berlin to do more
24 February 2023 | Al-Monitor
Activists in Germany are doubtful whether the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats will thwart the death sentence of German-Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd.
- Iran: Scores Blinded as Security Forces Aim Guns at Protesters’ Eyes
22 February 2023 | CHRI
In their violent drive to crush the anti-state protests that have roiled Iran over the last five months, Islamic Republic security forces have shot scores of young protesters directly in the eyes, resulting in the loss of sight in one or both eyes in numerous individuals.
- Joint Letter by 39 NGOs Calls on EU Countries to Summon Iranian Ambassadors in Unison on International Women’s Day
20 February 2023 | CHRI
A joint letter by 39 women’s and Iranian human rights organizations calls on EU countries to summon their ambassadors in unison on International Women’s Day, March 8, and demand the Islamic Republic.
- Analysis: Khamenei’s “Pardon” Is a Public Relations Stunt That Cedes No Ground to the Protesters
08 February 2023 | CHRI
The announced pardons and sentence reductions for tens of thousands of people charged or prosecuted for taking part in the protests that have swept Iran over the last four months, issued at the behest of the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 4, 2023, are a political ploy aimed at covering up vast and blatant violations of human rights since the protests began in September 2022.
- Rushdie says ‘very difficult’ to write after stabbing
07 February 2023 | Rudaw
British author Salman Rushdie said he finds it “very difficult” to write after being stabbed last year, in an interview published Monday ahead of the release of his new novel “Victory City.”
https://www.rudaw.net/english/world/07022023
- Islamic Republic Systematically Targeted Protester Eyes in Nationwide Protests
03 February 2023 | IHR
Considering the volume of reports of protesters being shot in the head and face by security forces in most Iranian cities, leading to many, including a significant number of young women, being blinded, Iran Human Rights considers the inhumane and unlawful act to have been systematically carried out by the Islamic Republic to crush protests.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/5726/
- Kurds in Iran welcome EU move towards IRGC terror label
03 February 2023 | Rudaw
Kurds in western Iran (Rojhelat) have largely welcomed the European Parliament’s recent resolution to include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the European Union’s terror list, saying the designation validates years of hardship Kurds have endured at the hands of the Iranian force, though some are worried the designation could trigger a violent retaliation.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/03022023
- Children’s Rights Advocates, Mainly Women, Targeted in Crackdown on Anti-State Protests in Iran
01 February 2023 | CHRI
Women who have devoted their lives to aiding underprivileged and at-risk youth in Iran have come under increasing attack by the Iranian government in its violent campaign aimed at crushing the country’s women and youth-led movement for social and political change.
REPORTS
- Live updates: nationswide protests
28 February 2023 | IHR
Nationwide protests and strikes sparked by the police murder of Mahsa (Jina) Amini are ongoing despite bloody crackdowns and internet shutdown by the authorities. In this section, you can keep up to date with Iran Human Rights news, statements and reports related to the uprising…
- 1849 Kolbars have been killed and wounded in the past 11 years
27 February 2023 | Kurdpa
Kurdpa Human Rights Organization statistics center presents the statistics of the killed and injured people of Kolbars during the last 11 years (from 2012 to 2022) in a separate statistical report till the end of 2022.
https://kurdpa.net/en/news/2023/02/23
- Recommendations for the International Community on Iran
06 February 2023 | CHRI
https://iranhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/Iran-Policy-Recommendations-2023.pdf
- The Hengaw legal team’s exclusive report on the government forces’ abduction of 186 Kurdish minors
10 February 2023 | Hengaw
According to statistics recorded in the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, approximately 400 students from various Kurdistan cities have been abducted by government forces over the past 5 months of the Zhina revolution; however, only 186 of them have been identified by the Hengaw thus far.
- Human Rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan
28 February 2023 | Kurdpa
At least 23 human rights violations have been documented by Kurdpa during February 2023.
https://kurdpa.net/en/news?page=2&Category=Human%20Rights