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

 

1. Iranian Armed Forces kill a Kurdish shepherd on the borders of Marivan

2. Kurdish city in Iran grieves for loved ones dying on the road to Europe

3. Some variety possible in new Iranian president’s cabinet

4. Iranian trade exhibition kicks off in Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani

5. US government seizes news sites linked to Iran

6. President Barzani, Raisi have phone call to discuss bilateral relations

7. Kurdish activists remain in detention in Marivan, Sanandaj

8. Raisi says Iran will prioritize improving regional relations

9. Top Kurdistan Region officials congratulate Ebrahim Raisi on Iran election win

10. Hard-liner Raisi wins Iran presidency amid record low turnout

11. Polls open in Iran to elect new president

12. Kurdish Writer and Activist Aram Fathi Incommunicado Since Arrest

13. Consul-Generals urge Iranians in Kurdistan Region to vote in elections

14. Iranian guards attack group of kolbars, injure two

15. Armed conflict between Iranian Armed forces and Kurdish part in Sarvabad — casualties reported

16. Defend Kurdistan Initiative visits Derbendîxan for talks on the destruction of nature

17. US lifts some Iran sanctions

18. “Do You Also Sleep With a Clear Conscience?” (An Open Letter to Candidate Raisi’s Wife)

19. Iran sentences secretary of Kurdistan branch of National Unity Party to 10 months in jail

20. Hezbollah founder dies of coronavirus in Iran

21. Iranian soldiers injure two kolbars, one a child

22. Iranian police forces after injuring a citizen: “Be thankful we did not aim to shoot at your head”

 

OPINION

 

1. Elections, deep arrangements.. Who rules, what is future of regime in Iran?

2. The elections are also a part of the plan to militarise Kurdistan

3. The confederate system is a proper alternative to the current centralist system in Iran

 

REPORTS

 

1. Top UN Official: Human Rights Situation in Iran is of “Serious Concern”

2. Human Rights

3. Participation of Hengaw in the Africa-Middle East Regional Forum on Conflict Prevention and the Protection of the Human Rights of Minorities

 

 

———————

 

NEWS

1. Iranian Armed Forces kill a Kurdish shepherd on the borders of Marivan

24 June 2021 | Hengaw

According to a report received by the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, on Thursday, June 24, 2021, a citizen from the village of “Eskol” in Marivan, identified as “Mohammad Hosseini… was killed by direct fire from the Iranian Armed forces while grazing his cattle near the borders of this city.

https://hengaw.net/en/news/iranian-armed-forces-kill-a-kurdish-shepherd-on-the-borders-of-marivan

 

2. Kurdish city in Iran grieves for loved ones dying on the road to Europe

24 June 2021 | Rudaw

Mehri Nabizadeh and her husband Sardar Ibrahim Nazhad had enough of a life of poverty with no income, which is why in the summer of 2018, although they had no savings, they made the difficult decision to emigrate abroad.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/240620211

 

3. Some variety possible in new Iranian president’s cabinet

23 June 2021 | Al-Monitor

With Iranian news outlets speculating about Raisi’s future cabinet, some analysts believe he will form an inclusive government — within limits.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/06/some-variety-possible-new-iranian-presidents-cabinet

 

4. Iranian trade exhibition kicks off in Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani

22 June 2021 | K24

Representatives of roughly 100 Iranian companies began to display their products on Tuesday, the first day of the second annual Iranian Trade Exhibition held in the Kurdistan Region’s city of Sulaimani.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/24816-PHOTOS:-Iranian-trade-exhibition-kicks-off-in-Kurdistan-Region%E2%80%99s-Sulaimani

 

5. US government seizes news sites linked to Iran

22 June 2021 | Al-Monitor

The US government seized several websites affiliated with Iran and its allies, including Press TV. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/06/us-government-seizes-news-sites-linked-iran

 

6. President Barzani, Raisi have phone call to discuss bilateral relations

21 June 2021 | Rudaw

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani spoke on the phone with Iran’s president-elect Ebrahim Raisi on Monday, discussing bolstering bilateral relations, according to a statement from the Kurdish presidency.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/21062021

 

7. Kurdish activists remain in detention in Marivan, Sanandaj

21 June 2021 | KHRN

Sources have informed the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that the detentions of the Kurdish civil rights activists Aram Fathi and Sorayya Haghdoust continue in the detention centre of the Ministry of Intelligence in Marivan and Correction and Rehabilitation Centre of Sanandaj.

https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/kurdish-activists-remain-in-detention-in-marivan-sanandaj/

 

8. Raisi says Iran will prioritize improving regional relations

21 June 2021 | Al-Monitor

The president-elect said Iran wants “interaction with the world” and called on US President Joe Biden to lift all sanctions.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/06/raisi-says-iran-will-prioritize-improving-regional-relations

 

9. Top Kurdistan Region officials congratulate Ebrahim Raisi on Iran election win

20 June 2021 | K24

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Saturday congratulated Iran’s judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi on winning the country’s presidential elections.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/24782-Top-Kurdistan-Region-officials-congratulate-Ebrahim-Raisi-on-Iran-election-win

 

10. Hard-liner Raisi wins Iran presidency amid record low turnout

19 June 2021 | Al-Monitor

Ebrahim Raisi’s win came as little surprise amid widespread voter apathy, in a race already tilted to his favor by a powerful supervisory body.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/06/hard-liner-raisi-wins-iran-presidency-amid-record-low-turnout

 

11. Polls open in Iran to elect new president

18 June 2021 | ANF

Polls are open in Iran to vote for the new president. There are concerns of a low turnout with the conservative head of the judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, widely seen as the favourite candidate.

https://anfenglish.com/news/polls-open-in-iran-to-elect-new-president-52861

 

12. Kurdish Writer and Activist Aram Fathi Incommunicado Since Arrest

17 June 2021 | IHR

Aram Fathi, a Kurdish writer, civil and human rights activist was arrested by security forces at his parent’s home in Marivan. The security forces were violent and did not have an arrest warrant.

https://iranhr.net/en/articles/4772/

 

13. Consul-Generals urge Iranians in Kurdistan Region to vote in elections

17 June 2021 | Rudaw

The Iranian diplomatic mission in the Kurdistan Region on Thursday urged Iranian citizens in the Region to vote while Kurdish opposition parties in Iran call for the boycott of elections, and said good ties with the Region remain no matter the election results.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/170620213

 

14. Iranian guards attack group of kolbars, injure two

15 June 2021 | ANF

According to Kolbernews site, the Iranian state forces attacked a group of kolbars within the borders of Newsud in Kirmaşan, in East Kurdistan.

https://anfenglish.com/human-rights/iranian-guards-attack-group-of-kolbars-injure-two-52792

 

15. Armed conflict between Iranian Armed forces and Kurdish part in Sarvabad — casualties reported

16 June 2021 | Hengaw

During a heavy-armed clash between the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps forces and the forces of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), at least 4 members of the PJAK were killed and their bodies were taken to Sarvabad by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces. https://hengaw.net/en/news/armed-conflict-between-iranian-armed-forces-and-kurdish-part-in-sarvabad-casualties-reported

 

16. Defend Kurdistan Initiative visits Derbendîxan for talks on the destruction of nature

18 June 2021 | ANF

The Defend Kurdistan Initiative has visited the city of Derbendixan in the Sulaymaniyah region of southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) on Friday.

https://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/defend-kurdistan-initiative-visits-derbendixan-for-talks-on-the-destruction-of-nature-52873

 

17. US lifts some Iran sanctions

11 June 2021 | ANF

The Biden administration has lifted sanctions on three former Iranian officials and several energy companies amid stalled nuclear negotiations. The US appears willing to further ease economic pressure on Iran if the country changes course.

https://anfenglish.com/news/us-lifts-some-iran-sanctions-52703

 

18. “Do You Also Sleep With a Clear Conscience?” (An Open Letter to Candidate Raisi’s Wife)

09 June 2021 | CHRI

In 2017, when Iranian Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi launched his first presidential campaign, Effat Mahbaz–the widow of a political prisoner killed during mass executions in the 1980s–published an open letter to Raisi’s wife highlighting Raisi’s role in what the UN says should be investigated as “crimes against humanity.”

https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2021/06/do-you-also-sleep-with-a-clear-conscience-an-open-letter-to-candidate-raisis-wife/

 

19. Iran sentences secretary of Kurdistan branch of National Unity Party to 10 months in jail

08 June 2021 | KHRN

The four-year prison sentence of the secretary of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party and lawyer Farhad Mohammadi, given by Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj in June 2020 on charges of “acting against national security”, has been commuted to 10 months in prison in Court of Appeals of Kurdistan province.

https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/iran-sentences-secretary-of-kurdistan-branch-of-national-unity-party-to-10-months-in-jail/

 

20. Hezbollah founder dies of coronavirus in Iran

07 June 2021 | Al-Monitor

Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour died in northern Tehran at the age of 75, local media reported.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/06/hezbollah-founder-dies-coronavirus-iran

 

21. Iranian soldiers injure two kolbars, one a child

07 June 2021 | ANF

According to Kolbernews, gunfire was opened on kolbars by Iranian soldiers in the regions of Sinai and Urmia.

https://anfenglish.com/news/iranian-soldiers-injure-two-kolbars-one-a-child-52594

 

22. Iranian police forces after injuring a citizen: “Be thankful we did not aim to shoot at your head”

05 June 2021 | Hengaw

According to a report received by Hengaw Human Rights Organization, on the evening of Thursday, June 3, 2021, police officers from station 18 in the Naysar neighborhood of Sanandaj  assaulted and insulted the owner of a shop, which sparked the protests of citizens.

https://hengaw.net/en/news/iranian-police-forces-after-injuring-a-citizen-be-thankful-we-did-not-aim-to-shoot-at-your-head

 

OPINION

1. Elections, deep arrangements: Who rules, what is future of regime in Iran?

18 June 2021 | ANHA

The Iranian regime is suffering from a crack within the pillars of the regime itself, while the people are increasingly angry at it due to the poor economic conditions and directing resources to serve Iran’s foreign interventions at the expense of the citizens

https://hawarnews.com/en/haber/elections-deep-arrangements-who-rules-what-is-future-of-regime-in-iran-h25276.html

 

2. The elections are also a part of the plan to militarise Kurdistan

18 June 2021 | Rojhelat

While the political and social circumstances of a country are faced to a democratic transformation due to greater chaos, and if the regime does not take action to transform the circumstances, the chaotic situations will become even more disturbed, that all the string of the intertwined society be disarranged.

http://rojhelat.info/en/?p=10603

 

3. The confederate system is a proper alternative to the current centralist system in Iran

08 June 2021 | Rojhelat

After Joe Biden has become the president, we observed a desire on the part of Iran to negotiate with the United States. How targeted these negotiations will be, we will have to wait and witness what pressure cards the two parties will use.

http://rojhelat.info/en/?p=10598

 

REPORTS

1. Top UN Official: Human Rights Situation in Iran is of “Serious Concern”

23 June 2021 | CHRI

In the latest report on Iran by the UN Secretary-General, the world’s top diplomat stated that the rights situation in Iran “remains of serious concern” and that “impediments to the rule of law and weak justice and accountability mechanisms result in impunity, perpetuate existing [human rights] violations and increase the risk of future violations.”

https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2021/06/top-un-official-human-rights-situation-in-iran-is-of-serious-concern/

 

2. Human Rights

20 June 2021 | Kurdpa

Kurdpa reports 11 cases of human rights violations between 20 and 11 June 2021.

https://kurdpa.net/en/news?Category=Human%20Rights

 

3. Participation of Hengaw in the Africa-Middle East Regional Forum on Conflict Prevention and the Protection of the Human Rights of Minorities

17 June 2021 | Hengaw

On June 15-16, 2021, the Africa-Middle East Regional Forum on Conflict Prevention and the Protection of the Human Rights of Minorities arranged by the United Nations Human Rights Council-MENA (UNHCR-MENA), in collaboration with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) and the Tom Lantos Institute, was held online with the presence of representatives of national minorities in Africa and the Middle East and representatives of other international human rights organizations.

https://hengaw.net/en/news/participation-of-hengaw-in-the-africa-middle-east-regional-forum-on-conflict-prevention-and-the-protection-of-the-human-rights-of-minorities

 

 

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,  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, 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.