INTRODUCTION
After using force to put down protests across the country, Iranian security forces launched a series of raids and detained many individuals who organized and participated in the protests. Hundreds of Kurds remain in Iranian jails since mass protests began on November 15. In Mazandaran Province’s Kelardasht city, Iranian authorities arrested a prominent Kurdish writer and activist named Mozhgan Kawasi. Kawasi was accused of “supporting the protests” in the Kurdish region. In Bokan city, Iranian intelligence officers (Ettel’aat) arrested a Kurdish activist named Azad Mahmodian. Concurrently, Fereshta Chraghy, a Kurdish journalist and member of the Yarsani religious minority, was arrested in Sarpol-e Zahab while dozens of activists and demonstrators were detained in Kermanshah, Marrivan, Sanandaj, Saqqez, Salas-e Bawajani, and Javanrud. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Association (KMMK), Iranian security forces have killed 300 people and wounded over 4,000 since November 15.
Iranian border guards shot and killed a Kurdish border porter Kolbar near Saqqez last week. Additionally, Iranian authorities opened fire on a group of Kolbars crossing into Iraqi Kurdistan near Sardasht, wounding one. Simultaneously, a Kolbar named Hashim Amadi died of a heart attack in a village near Marivan. The Iranian regime has killed 64 Kolbars and wounded at least 129 since the beginning of 2019.
NEWS
What Iran Did Not Want You to See
2 December 2019 | Raha Bahreini, NYT
Parts of Iran are back online, and videos suppressed by the nation’s internet shutdown are starting to trickle onto social media. In the Video Op-Ed above, Raha Bahreini sheds light on the eye-opening stories that Iran’s government did not want you to see.
Blocked roads then bullets: Iran’s brutal crackdown in its City of Roses
2 December 2019 | Michael Safi, The Guardian
The exchange comes from footage taken around 1am on Friday 15 November in the south-central Iranian city of Shiraz. Hours earlier, in a surprise announcement, Iran’s government had said it was raising the price of fuel by up to three times, adding to the strain on a population already struggling with an economy suffocated by US sanctions.
Iran’s deadly protests
5 December 2019 | Rachel Humphreys et al, The Guardian
When the Iranian government announced it was raising the price of fuel by up to three times, it triggered what may have been the largest-scale unrest in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic. Iranian officials this week estimated 200,000 people were involved in protests and riots that led to 7,000 arrests and, by some estimates, the regime’s deadliest-ever response to demonstrations.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2019/dec/05/iran-deadly-protests
UN office: Iranian forces were ‘shooting to kill’ protesters
6 December 2019 | Track Persia, AP
Iranian security forces were “shooting to kill” in their deadly crackdown against protesters in recent weeks, according to credible video footage, the UN human rights chief said Friday.
http://www.trackpersia.com/un-office-iranian-forces-shooting-kill-protesters/
Iran jails at least 8,000 following November protests
6 December 2019 | Ehsan Mehrabi, Track Persia
Three weeks after the start of anti-government protests in Iran there are still conflicting reports on the number of arrests made by security forces. A member of the Iranian Parliament Hossein Naqavi Hosseini put the number at 7,000 as one of the official accounts.
http://www.trackpersia.com/iran-jails-least-8000-following-november-protests/
The Iran Cables: Secret Documents Show How Tehran Wields Power in Iraq
19 November 2019 | Tim Arango et al, NYT
In mid-October, with unrest swirling in Baghdad, a familiar visitor slipped quietly into the Iraqi capital. The city had been under siege for weeks, as protesters marched in the streets, demanding an end to corruption and calling for the ouster of the prime minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi. In particular, they denounced the outsize influence of their neighbor Iran in Iraqi politics, burning Iranian flags and attacking an Iranian consulate.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/18/world/middleeast/iran-iraq-spy-cables.html
How much influence does Iran wield in Iraq?
28 November 2019 | Adrian Finighan, Al Jazeera
After months of violent anti-government protests in Iraq, anger has turned towards neighbouring Iran. Demonstrators stormed the Iranian consulate in the holy city of Najaf – before setting fire to it on Wednesday.
Leftists worldwide, stand by the protesters in Iran!
25 November 2019 | ROAR Collective, ROAR Magazine
A statement signed by more than 70 academics, militants and independent political groups calls upon the global left to break its silence and express its solidarity with the people of Iran.
https://roarmag.org/2019/11/25/leftists-worldwide-stand-by-the-protesters-in-iran/
Country Background Note: Iran
October 2019 | UK Home Office
This note provides a summary of and links to country of origin information (COI) for use by Home Office decision makers handling particular types of protection and human rights claims. It is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of a particular subject or theme.
Mass Uprising in Iran Set Off by Hike in Fuel Prices
21 November 2019 | Rosemary Lilov, Left Voice
This past Friday, the Supreme Council of Economic Coordination (SCEC) in Iran announced fuel price increases of up to 300 percent and a rationing scheme that restricts fuel purchases to 16 gallons a month. Beyond 16 gallons, an additional charge of $0.26 per litre is incurred on the already steep petrol prices.
https://www.leftvoice.org/mass-uprising-in-iran-set-off-by-hike-in-fuel-prices
Iran: Rouhani calls for release of ‘innocent, unarmed’ protesters
4 December 2019 | Al Jazeera
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has called for the release of any unarmed and innocent people arrested during the protests against fuel price increases after two weeks of violent clashes.
Iran: Eight with CIA links arrested for inciting deadly protests
27 November 2019 | Al Jazeera
Iranian security agents arrested at least eight people linked to the CIA during last week’s deadly unrest over petrol price increases, the official news agency IRNA reported on Wednesday.
After internet blackout, Iranians take stock
27 November 2019 | Al Jazeera
Tehran, Iran – Iranians are getting their digital lives back on track following a nearly seven-day long blackout that severed internet access for most of the country.
https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/internet-blackout-iranians-stock-191126142459371.html
Iran vows to punish ‘mercenaries’ behind deadly demonstrations
24 November 2019 | Al Jazeera
Iran has promised to severely punish “mercenaries” arrested over nationwide street protests sparked by a fuel-price rise as much of the country came back online after a week-long internet blackout.
US sanctions Iran’s information minister over internet blackout
22 November 2019 | Al Jazeera
The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran’s communications minister for his role in “widescale internet censorship”, a reference to a five-day-long nationwide shutdown meant to help stifle protests against fuel price hikes by Tehran.
Uprising in Iran spreads to East Kurdistan
16 November 2019 | ANF English
Yesterday people in many Iranian cities took to the streets against the gasoline price increase. Now the protests spread from Tehran and Tabriz to East Kurdistan. Also the provinces Yazd, Gilan, Lorestan, Islamabad and the cities of Kermanshah, Sine, Ciwanro, Ilam Saqiz and Urmia in Rojhilat (East Kurdistan) are shaken by massive protests. The people erect barricades of burning car tires.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/uprising-in-iran-spreads-to-east-kurdistan-39369
Protests in Iran continue
18 November 2019 | ANF English
The demonstrations continued in the 31 provinces of Iran and many of its cities, particularly in the cities of Rojhilat.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/protests-in-iran-continue-39425
AI: At least 106 protesters killed in 21 cities of Iran
20 November 2019 | ANF English
Verified video footage, eyewitness testimony from people on the ground and information gathered from human rights activists outside Iran reveal a harrowing pattern of unlawful killings by Iranian security forces, which have used excessive and lethal force to crush largely peaceful protests in more than 100 cities across Iran sparked by a hike in fuel prices on 15 November, said Amnesty International on Tuesday.
https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/ai-at-least-106-protesters-killed-in-21-cities-of-iran-39478
Iran gasoline riots spread like wildfire throughout Rojhilat of Kurdistan
18 November 2019 | Firaz Çiya, Nuce Ciwan
In Iran, riots against the hike in gasoline prices have spread quickly across the country after protests which began a day prior.
Iran’s protests expose fatal weaknesses
22 November 2019 | David Romano, Rudaw
Since roughly a week ago, protests erupted across all of Iran in response to an overnight hike in the price of fuel. The price hike stemmed from the reduction of government subsidies on fuel, which occurred without warning.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/opinion/22112019
Gas explosion in Iranian Kurdistan kills at least 11, injures dozens
6 December 2019 | EKurd
SEQIZ, Iranian Kurdistan,— At least 11 people were killed and dozens were injured in a gas explosion in Iran’s western Kurdistan province (Iranian Kurdistan, Rojhelat) on Thursday, the country’s semi-official Mehr news agency quoted a provincial emergency official as saying.
https://ekurd.net/gas-explosion-iranian-kurdistan-2019-12-06
At least 7,000 people reportedly arrested in Iran protests, says UN
6 December 2019 | Agence France-Presse
The United Nations has said that at least 7,000 people have reportedly been arrested in Iran since mass demonstrations erupted last month, and called for the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained.
For all of the latest Kurdish news, see these sources:
Rojhelat: http://rojhelat.info/en/
Rojava Information Center: https://twitter.com/RojavaIC
https://rojavainformationcenter.com
ANF English: https://anfenglishmobile.com/
Hawar News: https://www.hawarnews.com/en/
Women Defend Rojava: http://womendefendrojava.net/en/
Peace in Kurdistan
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