922
Iran
- Iranian intelligence officers (Ettela’at) continued their repression of Kurdish political activity by arresting a female Kurdish activist named Khadija Mehdipour in Ilam city and charging her with “propaganda against the state” for her social media activism. Ettela’at officers also arrested a Kurdish painter named Andesha Sadri in Tehran last Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Sanandaj, two Kurdish activists who had previously received prison sentences from an Islamic Revolutionary Court in 2018 and 2019 reported to prison after their bail was revoked. Shadman Bashir was sentenced to one year in prison, and Afashar Fathi received a six-year sentence. Furthermore, a Revolutionary Appeals Court reduced Kurdish activist Dara Rashidi’s 10-year prison sentence to seven and a half years. Rashidi was arrested last October in Sardasht city and charged with “membership of a Kurdish opposition party” in July. Rashidi was also incarcerated from 2001-2008 for “cooperation with a Kurdish opposition party.”
- One Kurdish border porter (Kolbar) was killed and three were wounded last week. Iranian border guards shot and killed a Kolbar from Turkey named Shafiq Bag near Mako last Tuesday. Iranian border guards also severely injured a Kolbar named Assad Nowdeshei in the Hawraman region and wounded another named Kamal Mirzai near Nowsud on Friday. Finally, Iranian border guards wounded a Kolbar named Rahmat Ameni in the vicinity of the Nokan border crossing near Sardasht.
Iraq
- Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa al Kadhimi confirmed an agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Government of Iraq (GOI) to normalize the situation in the Yazidi city of Sinjar (Shengal). The agreement, described as “historical,” allows both Iraqi forces and Peshmerga to be stationed outside the town and facilitates joint coordination between the federal security office and its Kurdish counterpart with regards to managing internal security. The agreement also aims to establish a new city administration, support the rebuilding of the city, and facilitate the safe return of tens of thousands of Yazidis displaced by the 2014 genocide carried out by ISIS (Da’esh). The agreement is backed by both the US and UN but was rejected by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) offshoots from the Yazidi community who claim the agreement is intended to end their presence in Sinjar that was established to combat Da’esh.
- Iraq’s financial crisis continues to hinder the KRG and GOI’s ability to pay their employees’ salaries on time. Though the KRG received its share of Iraq’s budget for September (320 billion Iraqi Dinar), uncertainty looms regarding the provision of funds in October and beyond, as a failure on the part of the Council of Representatives of Iraq (CRI) to approve loans requested by the government would ensure employees across the country are not paid. Meanwhile, President of Iraq Barham Salih visited Erbil and met with the “three-presidency ” formed by the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani, and the Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament Rewaz Faiq. Following the meeting, the Office of the President of the Kurdistan Region released a statement claiming the topics covered included the severe financial, security, and health issues facing the country and Kurdistan’s support for the steps taken by Baghdad to protect the security of foreign envoys.
Syria
- The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East of Syria (AANES) commemorated the first anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of the region on October 8. Simultaneously, 73 local human rights organizations, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), released a statement calling for the UN to pressure Turkey to stop its proxies’ continuing human rights abuses that include kidnappings, killings, and looting. Concurrently, President Trump extended the presence of US forces in Syria for another year under the “National Emergency With Respect to the Situation In and In Relation to Syria.” The commander-in-chief of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi welcomed the decision amid fears of another Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria.
- Ongoing protests from residents in the Kurdish town of Darbasiyah finally forced Russian patrols to withdraw from the area. Residents voiced particular displeasure with Russia’s decision to carry out joint patrols with Turkey and remain vigilant regarding a Turkish attack due to the town’s proximity to the Turkish border. Moreover, US patrols, accompanied by the SDF, continued in the region after several recent incidents between US and Russian forces.
- The AANES, following several months of pandemic-inspired border closures and strict travel restrictions, announced the reopening of all border crossings and relaxation of travel restrictions last week. The AANES began implementing its decision on Monday, though northeastern Syria and the rest of the country continue to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
- The SDF released a statement vowing to protect all archaeological sites under their control, including those in Deir Ez Zor Governorate. The statement read, “The Syrian Democratic Forces affirm their commitment to clear the archaeological site and everything related to the cultural heritage of any military presence, if any, and not to intentionally damage the cultural heritage.” Simultaneously, the SDF, backed by the US-led coalition, carried out several raids targeting Da’esh cells in Deir Ez Zor, arresting 19 Da’esh terrorists and seizing numerous light weapons on Saturday.
Turkey
- The Turkish government followed up on two previous mass arrest campaigns targeting Kurdish politicians and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) by detaining more Kurds last week. Last Tuesday, Turkish police arrested nine members of the HDP in Diyarbakir (Amed), Urfa, Shirnak, and Antalya. On Saturday, Turkish authorities arrested HDP members and members of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) in Malatya. Turkish police also arrested 11 people in Ankara, mostly HDP supporters, for commemorating the fifth anniversary of the October 10, 2015 Ankara bombings that were perpetrated by Da’esh and killed over 100 people, mostly Kurds. Most of those detained over the past two weeks remain imprisoned pending the outcome of investigations into their various political activities, including participation in the 2014 Kobane protests. The HDP responded by releasing a statement that described the continuing arrests as a sign of the Turkish government’s increasing desperation and claimed, “As the government gets weaker and scared, it gets even more aggressive and unlawful towards the democratic opposition. President Erdoğan and his allies are clearly in a desperate survival mood.”
- The European Parliament released its annual report on Turkey last week. The 2020 report is the latest in a series of recently released documents that criticized the Turkish government for its undemocratic policies that include extended emergency rulings, the removal of elected Kurdish officials, the judiciary’s lack of independence, and continuing government corruption.
- The Grand National Assembly of Turkey voted to extend approval of Turkey’s invasion of Iraq and Syria on Wednesday. Though the HDP voted against the measure, it was approved by Turkey’s pro-government blocs and two opposition parties.