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Iran
- According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Association (KMMK) the total casualties of the border workers (Kolbar) since the beginning of 2019 reached 85, including 21 killed and 64 wounded. On Tuesday the Iranian border guards shot and killed a Kurdish Kolbar, Bahouz Zada near the border crossing of Khoy city between Iran and Turkey. On Sunday, near the same area, another Kolbar, Bahman Rawashani, was killed by the Iranian guard while carrying goods. On Thursday, near Chaldoran County on the Iranian -Turkish border, a group of Kolbars fell into an ambush set up by the Iranian guards resulting severe injury of one. According to an injured Kolbar, the Iranian regime is now charging the cost of the bullets they use to shoot the Kolbars.
- After the designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist force by the U.S., the Iranian regime launched a campaign in the Kurdish region forcing a number of Kurdish youth groups to post slogans and photos in support of the IRGC. The Iranian regime’s pressure on the Kurdish population comes after the Kurdish opposition parties supported the U.S. designation of the IRGC as a terrorist group.
- On Thursday, the appeals court of the Islamic Court of Kermanshah reaffirmed the ten year sentence against a Kurdish civilian activist, Kianosh Qaramani, for “membership of an opposition party.” In Quchan city of Khorasan province, the Islamic Revolution Court sentenced a Kurdish man for five months in prison for “cooperation with a Kurdish opposition party.” Prior to the sentence, the 30-year old Mansour Faraj was jailed for two months by the Iranian intelligence office (Ettelaat). In Bokan, the Ettelaat arrested two Kurdish men, accusing them of membership to Kurdish parties. In Hassan Noran village of Oshnavieh (Shino) city, two members of the local council have been investigated by the Ettelaat for holding Newroz celebration in late March. The Ettelaat issued them warnings to avoid holding any Kurdish-related celebrations. Meanwhile, court hearing of a prominent Kurdish civilian activist Mokhtar Zerae started on Saturday in Sanandaj. Zerae is facing years of imprisonment for “insulting the Supreme Leader.”
- Two weeks after the floods in Iran, the situation in Mamulan and Pol Dakhtar cities of Lorestan province remain unstable. About 5,000 Kurdish workers have been out of work, while hundreds of homes were damaged. The Iranian regime’s response to the affected Kurdish cities has been much slower than the rest of the country. The Iranian regime also prevented aid to the Kurdish cities collected by the Kurds in Khanaqin, Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iraq
- Despite the recent agreement between the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to form the new cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the formation of the government froze due to disagreement between the KDP and the Change Movement (Gorran). After the KDP agreed to form a new post of the “Assistant President for Military affairs” for the PUK the Gorran party rejected the proposal and demanded the Ministry of the Peshmerga Forces if the PUK is to receive the new post. The talks between the parties are ongoing to finalize the last step for government formation.
- After a visit by a delegation from the Peshmerga ministry to Baghdad to discuss the allocated federal budget, the Iraqi Prime minister who is also acting minister of defense agreed to release the unpaid salaries of the Peshmerga forces for four months. The spokesperson for the Peshmerga Minister Jabar Yawer told Rudaw that the forces will be paid full salaries this year.
- In Muthanna Province, a mass grave was discovered last week that include about 200 corpses of Kurds killed by Saddam Hussein’s regime in what is known as the “Anfal genocide” in the 1980s. The remains included children and women. The Kurdish officials once again called upon the Iraqi government to compensate the families of the victims. From 1979 to 2003, Saddam’s regime of al Baath has committed several massacres against the Kurds after transferring them to the south of the country.
- On April 11, the Kurdish public security (Asayesh) of Kalar city announced the arrest of a senior ISIS member, in charge of transferring ISIS terrorists to Kirkuk and Diyala provinces.
Syria
- In a recent report published by al Monitor, a source of the Kurdish led administration in North and East of Syria said the U.S. is pressing them to allow the Turkish military deployed in the Kurdish region by the Turkish border. The Turkish threats to invade the Kurdish region was renewed recently by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Meanwhile no developments between the Kurds and the Assad regime. A Kurdish official told Reuters that the talks did not have any results since Russia “Froze the initiative.” Since the fall of the ISIS “Caliphate” uncertainty is looming the Kurdish let administration amid Turkish threats and Assad’s attempts to control the region.
- In Manbij, the explosion of two I.E.Ds resulted in property damage only. Recently the city faced several terrorist attacks, including on January 16, which targeted the Kurdish forces with U.S. service members.
- The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) handed over 25 Yazidi women and children who were rescued by the SDF during the liberation of ISIS-controlled areas to a local Yazidi council in Shingal city of Iraqi Kurdistan. Despite the defeat of the ISIS “Caliphate,” the SDF is still clearing areas near Baghouz, the last ISIS stronghold. The Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG) revealed the name of one of their fighters who was killed on April 13 in Deir Ez Zor Province.
Turkey
- After the win of the Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic People (HDP) candidates in the local elections, the Turkish High Election Board (YSK) has overturned the results and banned the Kurdish winner to assume office. The YSK decision came after the winners were removed from their offices by a presidential decree in 2016. However, the YSK approved the candidacy of the winners before the local elections. In a reaction, the HDP rejected the YSK move and describe it as “clear violation of the Constitution, laws and its own circulars.” The HDP also accused the YSK of not being “an independent and impartial institution.” The YSK’s decision granted the Kurdish Mayoral positions to the losers of the elections who are members of the ruling party of Justice and Development (AKP) headed by Erdogan. Meanwhile, the Turkish government refused to grant mandates to the Kurdish winners of Diyarbakir (Amed). In Mardin city, the AKP also filed a lawsuit against a veteran Kurdish politician, Ahmed Turk who won overwhelmingly the mayorship but has been unable to assume office so far.
- On Wednesday, the Turkish police arrested eight people in the Kurdish Viransehir district of Urfa province. The detainees included two newly elected local council members. In Diyarbakir city (Amed) the police detained a senior member of the HDP, Central Executive Board Hülya Ertaş at the airport before leaving to the capital Ankara. On Sunday in Diyarbakir, a police officer shot and killed a Kurdish man, Recep Hantaş for unknown reasons. Hantaş was from Lice district of Diyarbakir.