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.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/opinion/iran-internet-shutdown.html?fbclid=IwAR2Mpjg3fgWqswGu9rrP5Mzie873q5dukLnEPrsx1x1WrSf48wpHz-gntBc

 

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.

http://www.msn.com/en-xl/middleeast/middleeast-top-stories/blocked-roads-then-bullets-irans-brutal-crackdown-in-its-city-of-roses/ar-BBXB0xi

 

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.

https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2019/11/influence-iran-wield-iraq-191128200549163.html

 

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.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/846809/Iran_-_Background_-_CPIN_-_v6.0_-_Nov_2019_-_EXT.pdf

 

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.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/iran-rouhani-calls-release-innocent-unarmed-protesters-191204084412158.html

 

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.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/iran-cia-links-arrested-inciting-deadly-protests-191127170333511.html

 

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.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/iran-vows-punish-mercenaries-deadly-demonstrations-191124185019745.html

 

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.

https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/sanctions-iran-information-minister-internet-blackout-191122172936019.html

 

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.

https://www.nuceciwan37.com/en/2019/11/18/iran-gasoline-riots-spread-like-wildfire-throughout-rojhilat-of-kurdistan/

 

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.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/06/at-least-7000-people-reportedly-arrested-in-iran-protests-says-un?CMP=share_btn_fb

 

 

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

Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question

Email: estella24@tiscali.co.uk

www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com

Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Gingell – Tel: 020 7272 7890

Fax: 020 7263 0596

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 MEP, Desmond Fernandes, Lindsey German, Convenor STWC, Melanie Gingell, Christopher Gingell, Rahila Gupta, Nick Hildyard, Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, James Kelman, Bruce Kent, Jean Lambert, Elfyn Llwyd, Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, Mike Mansfield QC, 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, Trevor Rayne, writer, Lord Rea, Joe Ryan, Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Stephen Smellie, Jonathan Steele, Steve Sweeney, Gianni Tognoni, General Secretary Permanent People’s Tribunal, Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Dr Tom Wakeford, Dr Derek Wall, Julie Ward MEP, Hywel Williams MP.