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Iran
- Members of the Iranian intelligence service known as Ettela’at, arrested several Kurdish activists on a recent raid. The Kurdistan Human Rights Association reported that in Marriwan city, a Kurdish activist (Piman Abdi) was taken to an undisclosed location by members of Ettela’at because of his activity among the Kurdish community. In Mahabad city, the Iranian regime arrested Abdulwahid Poor: a Kurdish activist who was accused of having ties with Kurdish political parties. Meanwhile, a prominent Kurdish activist Maryam Faraji who had been missing since July 5, was found burned to death. Previously, the Iranian police arrested her for her activism in organizing protests against the regime in January of 2018.
- The Iranian regime has bombarded Kurdish areas along the Iran/Iraq border of Haji Omaran, Kurdistan region. The bombardment by artillery resulted in many civilians having to flee their homes and farms. The Iranian regime repeatedly shells the area to target Kurdish opposition groups based in the area. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has asked the Iranian government to stop bombing near border areas.
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) clashed in Nowdeshah and Paveh in the province of Kermanshah, with the conflict in Paveh still ongoing. The IRGC claimed to have killed three KDPI fighters, and the KDPI reports having killed two IRGC soldiers. Since March 2016 the KDP-I relaunched the “armed struggle against the Iranian regime.”
Iraq
- The Iraqi Federal Government blocked many social media sites, including in the Kurdistan region, as protests about the lack of public services, corruption, and high unemployment grew violent. Protests started as people of Basra demanded jobs from international oil companies that had oil fields there. The government reports that the oil is safe and the social media blackout will continue indefinitely.
- The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), are finalizing a joint agenda to take to Baghdad that will likely include, according to Rudaw, “the implementation of article 140, holding a referendum to decide the fates of disputed territories, forming a balanced government among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, all the decisions and laws passed by the parliament should be done so on the basis of the principle of agreement, not on the basis of majority versus minority, government positions should be distributed in a balanced manner.” Meanwhile, both parties have called other opposition parties to join their agendas and have a united message in Baghdad.
- The Mayor of Kirkuk’s sub-district Sargaran Luqman Husein accused the acting Governor of Kirkuk Rakan Saeed al Jabouri of Arabization policies against the Kurdish villages in the sub-district. Hussein stressed that since October 16, 2017, when Iranian backed militias and Iraqi Army controlled Kirkuk, thousands of armed Arabs have been resettled in Kurdish villages and given IDs. Meanwhile, the federal security forces in charge of Kirkuk were put on high alert in case protests break out due to bad service in the province in recent months.
Syria
- The Manbij Military Council (MMC) has announced the final withdrawal of YPG fighters and military advisors from the city. This comes as a part of the larger Manbij peace deal, formalized between the US and Turkey. The deal delineates a neutral zone around the city, as a buffer between Turkish forces and US-backed Kurdish militias in Northern Syria. The Manbij area is currently patrolled by Turkish, French, and US forces, all of which have so far adhered to the agreement. Turkish government media have dismissed reports of YPG departure, claiming the process is still ongoing.
- The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the governing political body of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) met in Tabqa on Monday, discussing the future of the Kurdish role in Syria and the consolidation of power in currently administered regions. The SDC seeks to create a unified administration in many of the regions liberated from ISIS, extending the Council’s authority in the region. Kurdish leaders have expressed a willingness to participate in a democratic, pluralist Syria, however, as of yet, no bridges have been built between the Assad regime and the SDC. The SDF controls the largest portion of Syria outside of Assad’s control, and the Syrian President has in the past stated he is open to negotiations, but would not hesitate to use force to reclaim territory east of the Euphrates if necessary.
- Turkish forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) proxies have burned more than 4,000 trees in the last week in the occupied city of Afrin. Turkish forces have occupied the predominantly Kurdish city since late March, and have been accused of large-scale human rights abuses and unnecessary brutality towards the civilian populace. This mass burning comes as part of a larger Turkish military operation, intent on destroying the agricultural sector of Afrin, which accounts for the bulk of employment and production in the city. The destruction of the cropland will endanger the livelihoods of many residents who rely on them for work or food.
Turkey
- Turkish police launched a raid on the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Istanbul, arresting 16. Turkish police forces have routinely harassed and detained HDP activists and members as part of a larger crackdown on opposition politicians since the failed 2016 coup attempt. Authorities claim the HDP is linked to the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK). The HDP’s candidate in the 2018 presidential elections, Selahattin Demirtaş, is one of the many party leaders who remain imprisoned for contested charges.
- Turkish government sources claimed to have “neutralized” 53 PKK militants in the past week as part of an ongoing military operation in southeastern Turkey. The identities of the alleged militants have yet to be confirmed. This comes as allegations of human rights abuses are lobbed at the Turkish forces participating in the operation. In 2017, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report criticizing the brutality and human rights abuses of the Turkish military against Kurdish citizens in its operations in southern Turkey.