IRAN/ROJHELAT: NEWS BRIEFING, 21 February – 06 March 2021

For all of the latest Kurdish news, see these sources:

Rojava Centre for Strategic Studies: http://nrlsrojava.com/en/

Komun Academy: https://komun-academy.com

MA NEWS: http://mezopotamyaajansi22.com/en/NEWS

Center for Human Rights in Iran: https://www.iranhumanrights.org/

Iran Human Rights: https://iranhr.net/en/

Kurdistan Press Agency: https://kurdpa.net/en

KHRN: http://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en

KMMK: https://kmmk-ge.org/

NEWS

1. UN rights chief condemns Iranian state violence against minorities
2. A citizen of Saqez was wounded by government soldiers
3. Iran intelligence threatens families, presses them to sign letter to UN against Kurdish political parties
4. 108 women committed suicides in Iranian Kurdistan from March 2020 to March 2021
5. Iran shuts down relief group fighting children’s poverty
6. Iranian security agencies pressure on the family of a Hengaw Human Rights Organization member
7. Non-Persian Mother Languages Treated as “National Security Threat” in Iran
8. Two Kurdish citizens lost their lives as a result of direct fire by IRGC forces in Piranshahr
9. Uncertainty continues about fifty three detained Kurdish activists
10. Statement condemning treatment of the Balooch by The Democratic Platform of Iran
11. IHR Condemns the Killing of Baluch Minorities and Warns of Impending Bloody Crackdown
12. KJAR: Iran intimidates society by executing women
13. Iran’s Political Prisoners Are Dying Due to Denial of Medical Care
14. PJAK protests rights violations and arrests in Iran
15. Civilians, activists gather in front of courthouse to protest sentence for Kurdish language teacher

REPORTS

1. Monthly report: human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan in February
2. Annual report: 52 Kurdish kolbars died, 147 injured in 2020
3. Human Rights Violations in Kurdistan of Iran (Annual Report)

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NEWS

1. UN rights chief condemns Iranian state violence against minorities
06 March 2021 | Rudaw
The United Nations’ human rights chief on Friday condemned Iranian state violence against Balochis and Kurds, expressing alarm over a “crackdown on minorities” since December.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/05032021

2. A citizen of Saqez was wounded by government soldiers
06 March 2021 | Kurdpa
On the morning of Friday, March 5th, a Kurdish citizen named Ghobad Nawokhasi from the village of Mahidar Sofla in Saqez was severely wounded by government soldiers.
Government soldiers shot the citizen without any prior warning at the Nakhwan border near the village of Bastam in the Saqez.
https://kurdpa.net/en/news/a-citizen-of-saqez-was-wounded-by-government-soldiers

3. Iran intelligence threatens families, presses them to sign letter to UN against Kurdish political parties
04 March 2021 | KHRN
Intelligence offices in various cities of Iranian Kurdistan have been summoning family members of some Kurdish political party members and threatening them to sign a letter addressed to the UN claiming the “abduction” of the party members, sources told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/iran-intelligence-threatens-families-presses-them-to-sign-letter-to-un-against-kurdish-political-parties/

4. 108 women committed suicides in Iranian Kurdistan from March 2020 to March 2021
04 March 2021 | Hengaw
According to the statistics registered in the Statistics and Documentation Data Center of Henagw Human Rights Organization, from March 2020 to March 2021, at least 108 women in different cities of Iranian Kurdistan committed suicide and ended their lives, the complete details of which are registered by Hengaw .
https://hengaw.net/en/news/108-women-committed-suicides-in-iranian-kurdistan-from-march-2020-to-march-2021

5. Iran shuts down relief group fighting children’s poverty
04 March 2021 | Al-Monitor
The Iranian judiciary has issued a ruling that effectively outlaws Imam Ali’s Popular Students Relief Society (IAPSRS), a charity organization dedicated to uprooting poverty and improving education among children in Iran’s most destitute areas.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2021/03/iran-shut-down-relief-group-fighting-children-poverty.html

6. Iranian security agencies pressure on the family of a Hengaw Human Rights Organization member
01 March 2021 | Hengaw
According to the available information, during the past few days, the Mahabad court has executed 100 million Tomans ( for $4000) bail for Kaveh Hassanpour, a journalist, human rights activist and member of the board of directors of Hengaw Human Rights Organization.
https://hengaw.net/en/news/iranian-security-agencies-pressure-on-the-family-of-a-hengaw-human-rights-organization-member

7. Non-Persian Mother Languages Treated as “National Security Threat” in Iran
26 February 2021 | Center for Human Rights in Iran
As the world marked International Mother Language Day in 2021, non-Persian native languages remained under attack in Iran, where non-Persian-speaking ethnic minorities are subject to state and institutional discrimination and the official teaching of mother languages is restricted and monitored by the Iranian government.
https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2021/02/non-persian-mother-languages-treated-as-national-security-threat-in-iran/

8. Two Kurdish citizens lost their lives as a result of direct fire by IRGC forces in Piranshahr
26 February 2021 | Kurdpa
On Wednesday, February 24th, two Kurdish citizens, Abdullah Naderi and Osman Naderi, sons of Marf from Piranshahr, were killed by direct fire from Revolutionary Guards. According to an informed source, Revolutionary Guards forces fired at these two citizens, who are brothers, on the road from Shinabad village to Zidan village without any prior notice.
https://kurdpa.net/en/news/two-kurdish-citizens-lost-their-lives-as-a-result-of-direct-fire-by-irgc-forces-in-piranshahr

9. Uncertainty continues about fifty three detained Kurdish activists
24 February 2021 | KHRN
At least 53 Kurdish activists who were detained in the recent wave of Kurdish civilians and activists in Iran, are still being held in the detention centres of the intelligence office and the Intelligence Organisation of the IRGC in the cities of Orumiyeh, Sanandaj, and Marivan.
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/civilians-activists-gather-in-front-of-courthouse-to-protest-sentence-for-kurdish-language-teacher/

10. Statement condemning treatment of the Balooch by The Democratic Platform of Iran
23 February 2021 | Rojhelat
It is not hidden to everyone that the Islamic Republic regime has established its foundations based on the suppression and denial of the demands of the oppressed nations in Iran, including the Balooch people. (PDI)
http://rojhelat.info/en/?p=10240

11. IHR Condemns the Killing of Baluch Minorities and Warns of Impending Bloody Crackdown
23 February 2021 | Iran Human Rights
IHR Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “Having sparked public outrage by executing more than 20 Baluchis in the past two months, the Islamic Republic of Iran is now progressing towards a more bloody crackdown by shooting and killing Baluchis making ends meet through fuel transportation.”
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/4643/

12. KJAR: Iran intimidates society by executing women
23 February 2021 | ANF
Ciwana Sine, a member of the Eastern Kurdistan Women’s Community (KJAR) Coordination, spoke to ANF about Iran’s execution policy towards women.
https://anfenglish.com/women/x-50207

13. Iran’s Political Prisoners Are Dying Due to Denial of Medical Care
22 February 2021 | Iran Human Rights
The death of prisoner of conscience Benham Mahjoubi died on February 21, 2021, after untreated medical conditions that included serious neurological issues, reflects the continued crisis in Iran’s prisons, where prisoners, especially prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, are denied proper medical treatment.
https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2021/02/irans-political-prisoners-are-dying-due-to-denial-of-medical-care/

14. PJAK protests rights violations and arrests in Iran
21 February 2021 | ANF
Since the beginning of the year, over a hundred Kurdish activists have been arrested in Rojhilat. PJAK (Partiya Jiyana Azad a Kurdistanê / Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan) protested in front of the Dutch parliament in The Hague against this wave of repression and the human rights violations of the Iranian regime.
https://anfenglish.com/human-rights/x-50159

15. Civilians, activists gather in front of courthouse to protest sentence for Kurdish language teacher
21 February 2021 |KHRN
A group of civilians and members of the Nozhin Association have gathered in front of the Sanandaj courthouse in the morning of 20 February to protest the court decision sentencing Zara Mohammadi to five years in prison.
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/civilians-activists-gather-in-front-of-courthouse-to-protest-sentence-for-kurdish-language-teacher/

REPORTS

1. Monthly report: human rights violations in Iranian Kurdistan in February
03 March 2021 |KHRN
In February, 10 Kurdish activists were detained and 12 activists who had previously been released on bail were sentenced to prison terms. Also three people – including two military personnel – lost their lives in landmine explosions while three others were injured in the past month. Furthermore, three Kurdish civilians were killed by Iranian security forces.
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/monthly-report-human-rights-violations-in-iranian-kurdistan-in-february/

2. Annual report: 52 Kurdish kolbars died, 147 injured in 2020
01 March 2021 |KHRN
The data compiled by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) suggest that in 2020, at least 52 Kurdish civilians, who were left with no other choice but to carry goods on their backs – also known as kolbari – between the border areas of Iran, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and Turkey to earn a living for their families, have either been killed by Iranian and Turkish military forces or have lost their lives…
https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/annual-report-52-kurdish-kolbars-died-147-injured-in-2020/

3. Human Rights Violations in Kurdistan of Iran (Annual Report)
February 2021 |KMMK
The Kurdish community remains one of the most suppressed groups in the country, with individuals being persecuted, arrested and in many cases sentenced to death, due to their alleged activism. The share of Kurdish political prisoners remains dramatically high in Iran.
https://kmmk-ge.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/KMMK2020-1.pdf

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

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