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 https://komun-academy.com
CHRI https://www.iranhumanrights.org/
Iran Human Rights https://iranhr.net/en/
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 https://kmmk-ge.org/
Hengaw https://hengaw.net/en
NEWS
- Iran Human Rights Warns Against Resumption of Public Executions in Iran
- Report: Iran blocked women from attending soccer match
- Imposing imprisonment sentence for two citizens from Oshnavyeh
- Austria: Kurdish political asylum-seeker sews up lips
- Security, military and riot forces prevented Nowruz celebrations in the village of Ney in Marivan
- Newroz: Iran security forces detain dozens in Kurdistan over celebrations
- Amnesty calls on Iran, UN to investigate death of Iranian-Australian in Tehran prison
- Newroz fire lit across East Kurdistan
- Kurdistan Parliament Deputy speaker thanks US for support after Iranian attack
- Dalahou / A mother and her son were killed by the Revolutionary Guards forces
- Swiss deputies present motion in parliament for Kurdish teacher Zara Muhammedî
- Petition for the release of Kurdish activist Kiyoumars Latifi
- International Women’s Day: A Clarion Call for Justice
- The pain of Rojhelat’s women, shared by a female lawyer
- International Women’s Day: Women in Iran are Leading the Struggle for Human
- A 20-year-old girl was sentenced to one year in prison in Sanandaj
- Sanandaj; Arrest of two members of the “Nojin” socio-cultural association by
- Elderly Kurdish woman detained in Iran for demanding daughter’s release
- Landmine injures four kolbars in East Kurdistan
- KJK says that learning, using and promoting the mother tongue is a natural social
- Iranian teachers protest in more than 100 cities: media
- Family of former Kurdish political prisoner is being threatened
- Iran Human Rights Welcomes EP Resolution; Death Penalty Moratorium Must Be
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
- 55 Human Rights Groups Sound Alarm Against Draconian Internet Bill
- Narges Mohammadi Notified of Bail Seizure: I Don’t Recognise the Court’s Authority
- Zeynab Jalalian: Women can’t be silenced with slaughter, torture, and detention
- Iran: Drop charges against human rights activist Hossein Ronaghi
- Kurdish Language volunteer teacher Zara Mohammadi by Islamic Republic of Iran
- Border crossings and foreign fighters rise after Taliban takeover
REPORTS
- At least 280 people executed in Iran in 2021: UN expert
- Five new HENGAW reports on human rights violations
- February 2022: Human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan
- 170,000 Iranian Kurds make their living as border couriers: UK govt report
- Several human rights violations
———————
NEWS
1. Iran Human Rights Warns Against Resumption of Public Executions in Iran
30 March 2022 | Rudaw
According to reports by Iranian media, two men have been sentenced to public execution for murder charges by a court in Foulad Shahr, Isfahan. Given that there have been no public executions in the last year and a half due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a return to such a cruel method of execution must be met with strong condemnation by Iranian civil society, human rights activists and the international community.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/5151/
2. Report: Iran blocked women from attending soccer match
29 March 2022 | Rudaw
Iran blocked women from attending the country’s last 2022 World Cup soccer qualifying match Tuesday, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.
ISNA said 12,500 tickets were sold online, of which 2,000 had been reserved for women. Iran defeated Lebanon 2-0 in the match. A victory in January over Iraq assured the team a spot in the World Cup in Qatar.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/29032022
3. Imposing imprisonment sentence for two citizens from Oshnavyeh
25 March 2022 | Hengaw
According to a report received by Human Rights Organization, Mehran Soleimanpour and Hashem Khouran, two citizens from Oshnavyeh, have been respectively sentenced to 18 months and the other to 30 months in prison by Branch one of the Revolutionary Court…the verdict was issued on charges of “collaborating with the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran”.
https://hengaw.net/en/news/imposing-imprisonment-sentence-for-two-citizens-from-oshnavyeh
4. Austria: Kurdish political asylum-seeker sews up lips
25 March 2022 | KHRN
A former Kurdish political prisoner named Kamran Darvishi has gone on a hunger strike and sewn up his lips in Austria on 23 March. Darvishi, who left Iran 11 months ago to seek asylum in Austria, protests against the uncertainty about his asylum case and the local authorities’ decision to evacuate him from the building where he lives.
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/austria-kurdish-political-asylum-seeker-sews-up-lips/
5. Security, military and riot forces prevented Nowruz celebrations in the village of Ney in Marivan
24 March 2022 | Kurdpa
… Monday, March 21st, security, military and riot forces raided the Nowruz ceremony in the village of “Ney” in Marivan and prevented the ceremony. According to an informed source, military and riot forces clashed with the people and opened fire on the crowd…”Several citizens have been injured by the firing of military and riot forces.”
6. Newroz: Iran security forces detain dozens in Kurdistan over celebrations
23 March 2022 | KHRN
Iranian security forces have arrested dozens of Kurdish civilians and activists during and after the annual Newroz (also Nowruz in Persian) celebrations in Kurdistan in the past few weeks.
7. Amnesty calls on Iran, UN to investigate death of Iranian-Australian in Tehran prison
22 March 2022 | Rudaw
Amnesty International on Tuesday called on Iranian authorities and the United Nations (UN) to conduct an immediate “impartial, transparent, and effective investigation” into the death of Iranian-Australian Shokrollah Jebeli in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on Sunday.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/22032022
8. Newroz fire lit across East Kurdistan
20 March 2022 | ANF
Newroz celebrations continue in East Kurdistan where people take to the streets in masses against assimilation and bans. Grand celebrations took place in five regions of Mariwan province and Sine on Sunday.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/newroz-fires-lit-across-east-kurdistan-58795
9. Kurdistan Parliament Deputy speaker thanks US for support after Iranian attack
17 March 2022 | K24
In a meeting with US diplomats on Thursday, Kurdistan Parliament Deputy Speaker Dr. Hemin Hawrami thanked the US for expressing its support for the Kurdistan Region in the wake of the Iranian missile attacks on March 13th.
10. Dalahou / A mother and her son were killed by the Revolutionary Guards forces
14 March 2022 | Hengaw
According to the report received by Hengaw Human Rights Organization, at 7 pm on Sunday, March 13, 2022, the Revolutionary Guards forces shot at a Pride car in the town of Dalahou, in a place called “Mohsaraneh Pass” and killed its two occupants.
11. Swiss deputies present motion in parliament for Kurdish teacher Zara Muhammedî
11 March 2022 | ANF
The fact that teacher Zara Muhammedî was imprisoned for 5 years on the pretext that she “threatened national security” for teaching Kurdish to a group of students in Sine was brought to the agenda of the Swiss Federal Parliament.
12. Petition for the release of Kurdish activist Kiyoumars Latifi
08 March 2022 | ANF
For weeks, Kurdish teacher Kiyoumars Latifi has been imprisoned in a prison run by the Iranian secret service. His son, who lives in Germany, is receiving death threats and has now initiated a petition for his father’s release.
13. International Women’s Day: A Clarion Call for Justice
07 March 2022 | ANF
“We are the gears that make the world move and we must demand our rightful place amongst humanity,” says the KNK Commission on Women and stresses that, “The future can only be saved if it is female.”
https://anfenglishmobile.com/women/international-women-s-day-a-clarion-call-for-justice-58528
14. The pain of Rojhelat’s women, shared by a female lawyer
07 March 2022 | Rudaw
The sound of crying from the child who was separated from his mother in court still echoes in the ears of Gullalla. She’s angry that, as this helpless woman’s lawyer, she couldn’t convince the court how much of a tragedy the separation would be for this mother and child. The image of the sobbing rural woman does not leave her mind, and she’s reminded of the sight every day.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/070320222
15. International Women’s Day: Women in Iran are Leading the Struggle for Human Rights
07 March 2022 | CHRI
On the eve of International Women’s Day, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) celebrates women everywhere who are at the vanguard of the struggle for human rights despite crushing adversity. In Iran, courageous women, including lawyers, activists, journalists, and mothers of the victims of state violence, are demanding justice, freedom, equality, and basic civil liberties for all Iranians, despite facing systemic human rights abuses and discrimination.
16. A 20-year-old girl was sentenced to one year in prison in Sanandaj
28 February 2022 | Hengaw
According to a report received by Hengaw Human Rights Organization, a girl from Kamyaran and resident of Sanandaj, identified as Azhin Rahmani, 20, was recently sentenced to one year in prison by branch 102 of the Baneh Criminal Court…the sentence was issued on charges of “collaborating with the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran” and “crossing the border illegally.”
https://hengaw.net/en/news/a-20-year-old-girl-was-sentenced-to-one-year-in-prison-in-sanandaj
17. Sanandaj; Arrest of two members of the “Nojin” socio-cultural association by security forces
28 February 2022 | Kurdpa
On Monday, February 21st, a young couple named “Payam Miri” 36 and “Varan (Esra) Mohammadnejad” 30, from “Tangisar” village and resident of Sanandaj coincided with the International Mother Language Day and during the distribution of special tracts and posters of this day, , were detained by security forces.
18. Elderly Kurdish woman detained in Iran for demanding daughter’s release
22 February 2022 | Rudaw
The elderly mother of prominent Kurdish political prisoner in Iran, Zeynab Jalalian, was detained on Monday and interrogated for several hours for calling on the international community to pressure Iran to release her daughter who has been in prison for 14 years, convicted on political charges.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/22022022
19. Landmine injures four kolbars in East Kurdistan
23 February 2022 | ANF
According to the information obtained, a landmine blast injured three kolbars named Kiyanûş Reûfî (24), Fuad Bitûşî and Amanc in the border region of Bane. It is reported that all three kolbars were from Serdeşt. A 25-year-old kolbar named Erkan Mehmudî was injured in another mine blast in Sofi Caney Şûşme, a border region in Newûd.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/landmine-injures-four-kolbars-in-east-kurdistan-58311
20. KJK says that learning, using and promoting the mother tongue is a natural social right
20 February 2022 | ANF
The Education Committee of the KJK (Kurdistan Women’s Community) issued a statement to mark International Mother Language Day on 21 February. The statement said that Turkey’s government is a “one-man regime” based on the slogan “one nation, one language, one state” and is employing a policy of annihilation against the Kurdish language.
21. Iranian teachers protest in more than 100 cities: media
20 February 2022| K24
Thousands of Iranian teachers have protested in more than 100 cities against delays in salary and pension reforms, a local newspaper reported Sunday.
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/27331-Iranian-teachers-protest-in-more-than-100-cities:-media
22. Family of former Kurdish political prisoner is being threatened
20 February 2022 | Hengaw
According to reports received by Hengaw Human Rights Organization, on February 14, 2022, the Ettelaat (IRGC intelligence agency) broke into the home of Kurdish political activist and former prisoner Loghman Azizi in Oshnaviyeh, Iranian Kurdistan, and threatened to arrest his wife Leyla Naliwani and their nine-year-old son Jiear Azizi. According to witnesses, neighbors of the family stood in the way of the arrest.
https://hengaw.net/en/news/family-of-former-kurdish-political-prisoner-is-being-threatened
23. Iran Human Rights Welcomes EP Resolution; Death Penalty Moratorium Must Be Part of Negotiations
18 February 2022 | IHR
The European Parliament resolution calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty is a step forward in the right direction. Welcoming the resolution, Iran Human Rights calls for the moratorium on the death penalty to be considered as one of the main provisions of any talks with the Islamic Republic.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/5106/
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
1. 55 Human Rights Groups Sound Alarm Against Draconian Internet Bill
17 March 2022 | Kurdpa
Kurdpa Human Rights Organization has joined other human rights and civil society organizations to raise a concern about the ratification of a controversial bill known as the “Regulatory System for Cyberspace Services Bill.” The organizations urged Iran’s Parliament to rescind the bill which would restrict the Iranian people’s access to the global Internet.
https://kurdpa.net/en/news/55-human-rights-groups-sound-alarm-against-draconian-internet-bill
2. Narges Mohammadi Notified of Bail Seizure: I Don’t Recognise the Court’s Authority
17 March 2022 | IHR
Prominent human rights defender, Narges Mohammadi has issued a statement that she does not recognise the religious totalitarianism and the court’s repressive rulings and will not be returning to prison. Stating that she had received notification of bail seizure, she said she would continue her civil disobedience of refusing to return to prison to the point that her bailer would not lose their property.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/5145/
3. Zeynab Jalalian: Women can’t be silenced with slaughter, torture, and detention
09 March 2022 | ANF
In a letter she wrote for March 8, Zeynab Jalalian, who has been subjected to severe torture in prison for 15 years in Iran, said, “The more the oppressors escalate the persecution and suffering on me, the more valiant and resilient I become.”
4. Iran: Drop charges against human rights activist Hossein Ronaghi
03 March 2022 | Kurdpa
We, the undersigned human rights organisations, call on Iranian authorities to drop the charges against Iranian activist and human rights defender Hossein Ronaghi… Ronaghi was held in detention in circumstances that violated his due process rights, from 23 February until he was released on bail late on 2 March. He was held in detention in Evin Prison for eight days without any official charges brought against him
https://kurdpa.net/en/news/iran-drop-charges-against-human-rights-activist-hossein-ronaghi
5. Kurdish Language volunteer teacher Zara Mohammadi by Islamic Republic of Iran
28 February 2022 | KMMK
To the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights – Iran Desk:
6. Border crossings and foreign fighters rise after Taliban takeover
22 February | Al-Monitor
… Iran, which shares a lengthy, porous border with Afghanistan, has long been accused of harboring al-Qaeda leaders. There are increasing signs that the Taliban takeover has also led to a rise in the regional drug trade, with effects on Iraq’s eastern border with Iran….
REPORTS
1. At least 280 people executed in Iran in 2021: UN expert
18 March 2022 | Rudaw
Iran executed at least 280 people last year, according to figures published on Thursday by the UN special rapporteur on Iran. Presenting a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Javaid Rehman said the number of executions for charges related to narcotics laws had risen.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/18032022
2. Five new HENGAW reports on human rights violations
01-08 March 2022 | Hengaw
According to statistics at least 12 women activists were arrested and sentenced to imprisonment by various branches of Judicial system, from March 2021 to March 2022, at least 94 women has suicided in different cities of Kurdistan, and 41 women were killed. At least 31 Kurdish citizens were arrested by the Iranian government’s security agencies on charges of political and civil activities in February and during January and February 2022, at least 10 Kurdish political and civil activists were tried by the judical system of the Islamic Republic of Iran and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and 2 years and 6 months suspended imprisonment. Also at least 17 Kolbars and salesman were killed and wounded on the borders of Kurdistan.
https://hengaw.net/en/news?Category=statistics
3. February 2022: Human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan
01 March 2022 | 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 February 2022.
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/february-2022-human-rights-violations-in-iranian-kurdistan/
4. 170,000 Iranian Kurds make their living as border couriers: UK govt report
24 February 2022 | K24
Exacerbated by limited employment opportunities and international sanctions, up to 170,000 Kurds from Iran make their living as border couriers, known as ‘kolbars’, by smuggling everyday goods, a report by the British government said on Wednesday.
5. Several human rights violations
31 March 2022 | Kurdpa
Between 28 February and 31 March 2022 at least 65 human rights violations have been reported from Iranian Kurdistan.
https://kurdpa.net/en/news?Page=2&Category=Human%20Rights
Peace in Kurdistan
Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question
Email: estella@gn.apc.org
https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peaceinkurdistan1/
Contacts Estella Schmid: 07846 666 804 & Melanie Gingell: 07572 430903
Patrons: John Austin, Baroness Blower of Starch Green, former GS NUT, Prof Bill Bowring, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Maggie Cook, UNISON women activist; Prof Mary Davis, Lord Dholakia, Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director, Jill Evans, former MEP, Desmond Fernandes, Lindsey German, Convenor STWC, Melanie Gingell, Christopher Gingell, Prof Dr. Michael Gunter, Secretary-General, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC), Rahila Gupta, journalist, Nick Hildyard, policy advisor, Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, James Kelman, Bruce Kent, Jean Lambert, former MEP, Dr Les Levidow, Open University, Elfyn Llwyd, John McDonnell MP; Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, Mike Mansfield QC, David Morgan, journalist, Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, GFTU, Dr. Jessica Ayesha Northey, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Kate Osamor MP, Margaret Owen OBE, Ali Gul Ozbek, Former Councillor and Mayor of Haringey; Gareth Peirce, Dr Felix Padel, Maxine Peake, actor, Dr Thomas Phillips, Liverpool John Moores University, Trevor Rayne, writer, Joe Ryan, Bert Schouwenburg, International Trade Union Adviser; Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Stephen Smellie, PIK Trade Union Liaison Officer, Jonathan Steele, journalist, Steve Sweeney, journalist, Gianni Tognoni, General Secretary Permanent People’s Tribunal, Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Dr Federico Venturini, Associate Researcher, University of Udine, Italy; Dr Tom Wakeford, Dr Derek Wall, Julie Ward, former MEP, Kariane Westrheim, Chair, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC); Hywel Williams MP.