814
Iran
- Two Kurdish border porters known as Kolbars lost their lives and another two were injured last week. On Tuesday, a Kolbar died after drowning in a river near Oshnavieh. 17-year-old Azad Shwana was attempting to cross the river with goods en route to the Gadar border crossing with Iraqi Kurdistan. On Sunday, Iranian border guards attacked a group of Kolbars in Baneh, killing one. Iranian border guards also ambushed a group of Kolbars and wounded two near Piranshahr. The injured Kolbars were transferred to Iraqi Kurdistan for treatment. At least 33 Kolbars have been killed in 2019.
- Mohammed Assri was transferred to a prison in Urmia after the Islamic Court of Appeals reduced his sentence from five years to one year for membership in “opposition parties.” Assri has been detained since 2018. Meanwhile, three Kurdish environmental activists were transferred to local jails after spending months in Iranian Intelligence (Ettela’at) custody. The Kurdistan Human Rights Association (KMMK) identified the activists as Mahdi Qubadi, Rashad Montazari, and Jalal Rostami. Most Kurdish activists are detained by the Ettela’at, sometimes for months, before receiving a trial.
- Kurdish political prisoner Barzan Mohammadi’s health continues to deteriorate as a result of his hunger strike against the treatment of the political prisoners in Iran. Mohammadi has been on a hunger strike for two months and was previously sentenced to six years in prison in 2017 for “rallying a group against the national security.”
- In Marivan, 10 Kurdish activists were arrested by Iranian security forces for “disruption of public order.” The activists were protesting domestic violence against women after an incident resulted in the death of a local Kurdish woman.
Iraq
- On Sunday, the Kurdistan Parliament announced five names as nominees for the post of President. On Wednesday, the Kurdistan Parliament will hold a session to elect the President, Nechirvan Barzani, following an agreement by the Kurdish parties.
- Thousands of Kurdish-owned acres of farmland have been burned in several locations throughout Iraq. In Kirkuk’s Sargaran and Makhmour districts, hundreds of acres of wheat fields were set on fire Sunday morning. In Diyala’s Khanaqin town, more than a thousand acres of farmland were set ablaze. The terror group Islamic State (Da’esh) claimed responsibility for the Khanaqin fires after farmers refused to pay extortion money to the organization. Additionally, two Kurdish citizens were killed by IEDs in Khanagin on Thursday. One was a farmer killed while driving his harvester and the other was killed in his vehicle. The Ministry of Peshmerga called for a meeting with the Iraqi Defense Minister to address a previous agreement to deploy Peshmerga forces in the disputed territories in coordination with the Iraqi military. In Hawija district, Da’esh terrorists killed seven members of the Iraqi Federal Police, including four officers, in two separate attacks. Since October 16, 2017, the security of the disputed territories has deteriorated due to the removal of Peshmerga forces by the Iraqi military and Iranian-backed militias.
- Iraqi security forces carried out several raids against Kurdish neighborhoods in the city of Kirkuk. Kurdish parties and activists denounced the raids and described them as part of a policy to marginalize Kurds in Kirkuk province. The Arab governor of Kirkuk, appointed by the Iraqi government in October 2017, has been accused by Kurds of restoring the Arabization policies of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
- On Sunday, Germany and the Netherlands resumed providing military training to the Peshmerga in Kurdistan. Last Wednesday, both countries stopped training operations due to tensions between the U.S. and Iran. U.S.-Iran tensions have led to the evacuation of many American diplomats and oil workers, particularly in southern Iraq.
- Turkish airstrikes killed a Kurdish man from Barzan region on Tuesday. Turkish strikes have killed around 20 civilians in Iraqi Kurdistan since 2015. Turkey claims it is targeting Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in the Qandil mountains, which cross the Kurdish regions of Iraq and Turkey.
Syria
- The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the arrest of 42 Da’esh members in newly liberated rural areas of Deir Ez Zor Province. The Da’esh operatives were mostly part of sleeper cells launching attacks on the SDF and civilians. The arrests came after 5,000 SDF took part in a campaign in Deir Ez Zor that started on May 15 and stretched from Al-Shuhail to al Hol city. The SDF announced the seizure of weapons and ammunition belonging to Da’esh and the discovery of a tunnel used by the terror group to launch attacks. In al Tabqa town, the local security forces detained a Da’esh sleeper cell tasked with assassinating security forces. In Manbij, a car bomb exploded in front of the internal security office on Thursday evening. The blast killed 10 people, including civilians, and injured three children. Separately in Manbij, two IEDs targeted locally owned stores on Sunday, causing property damage. On Monday night, a Da’esh suicide bomber targeted an SDF convoy in southern al Hasakah province. No casualties were reported. Da’esh attacks have been steadily increasing in the region over the past two months.
- Turkish-backed jihadists attacked the SDF controlled town of Tel Rifaat with mortars and rockets, killing one civilian and wounding another. Thousands of Kurds protested in front of a Russian center in Aleppo and accused Russia of reaching an agreement with Turkey to give the latter permission to attack Kurds in Tel Rifaat. Russia previously authorized Turkey’s invasion of Afrin in March 2018.
- The SDF returned two rescued Yazidi children who were previously abducted by Da’esh in 2014. The girls were from Shingal town in Iraqi Kurdistan (Sinjar). Hundreds of Yazidis have been liberated from Da’esh since the fall of the “Caliphate” in March.
Turkey
- The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) reiterated its intent not to participate in the Istanbul election re-run, a move that will help the opposition candidate win against the ruling party of Justice and Development (AKP). HDP Co-chair Sezai Temelli responded to questions regarding the potential to reach an agreement with AKP by stating, “There can be no agreement with fascism.” He added, “They will win again on June 23. For us, this election is about the fight for democracy.” Temelli invited the opposition to talks and said,” Let’s do politics together.”
- Kurdish hunger strikes in protest of the isolation imposed on political prisoners and Abdullah Ocalan reached 195 days. The hunger strikes were initiated by a former lawmaker of the HDP named Leyla Guven. Turkish police, for the third consecutive week, attacked the mothers of political prisoners protesting the conditions of their sons on hunger strikes. The 30 political prisoners on “death fast” reached day 20 amid increased concerns about their health. Last week, Turkey’s Minister of Justice announced that a ban on visitation was lifted on Ocalan. Despite the ban being lifted, however, Ocalan’s lawyers have not received permission to visit their client.