840
Iran
- The Iranian authorities arrested more Kurds across the region, including a female activist Chinei Sharifi in Bokan, two siblings in Nei village in Marivan named Saadi and Siamak Minbary, Zanko Masoudi in Saqqez, Karwan Mohammdi in Urmia, Shamsaddin Noori in Qotur, and 16-year old Saharam Ibrahimi in Oshnavieh (Shinno). Furthermore, a Kurdish activist from Mahabad, Qassim Azizian, was sent to prison to start his 28 months sentence for “membership” in a Kurdish opposition party.
- On Sunday, November 28, unknown gunmen stormed the home of an exiled activist and member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), named Rashad Minbary in Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital Erbil. Minbary accused the Iranian authorities of being behind the assassination attempt. Minbary’s sibling, Shoresh was a Peshmerga commander of the KDPI who was killed by the Iranian regime in 2016. Several Kurdish activists and opposition members have been targeted by the Iranian regime in Iraqi Kurdistan since 1991.
- The Kurdish border porters (Kolbars) suffered more deadly casualties by the Iranian security forces. Last Tuesday, Iranian border guards shot two groups of Kolbars near Baneh, killing one and injuring two others. Further, on Friday, December 3, the Iranian guards killed a Kolbar named Habib Rostami near the Qasr-e Shirin border with Iraqi Kurdistan and wounded another named Yaqoub Galena near Sardasht on Thursday.
- Alongside several Iraqi Kurds, an Iranian Kurd who was identified as Sirwan Alipour was among the 27 drowned migrants in the English channel last month. Alipour left a voice message to his friend saying they were waiting to either cross to the UK or return to France before their boat sank.
Iraq
- In multiple ISIS (Da’esh) attacks over the past two weeks, 24 Peshmergas were killed by the terror group. On Thursday night, a Da’esh terrorist attacked Kulajo village near Makhmour, killing three brothers, including a 10-year old child. The terrorist attack resulted in the death of ten Peshmergas, two inside the village, seven during the attack on the Peshmerga post, and one during a car crash while evacuating wounded ones. Furthermore, on Sunday, December 5, a similar attack occurred near Qara Salem of Pirde district, resulting in the death of four more Peshmergas. The Peshmerga forces moved in the area, followed by the Iraqi military. Currently the area is run jointly by both forces. The recent Da’esh attacks reignited anger among the Kurds for the security vacuum in the region, which has been in place since October 16, 2017 due to the Iraqi government’s policies.
- After concluding a visit to Tehran, the Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov visited Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region on Thursday, December 2. Bogdanov met with top Kurdish officials and leaders of the main parties. “Mr. Bogdanov commended the bilateral relations of his country with the Kurdistan Region and reiterated Russia’s willingness to further strengthen ties with Kurdistan. The Special Representative gave a brief overview of his recent visits to Tehran, Baghdad and Erbil,” read a statement by the Kurdish presidency.
- On Tuesday, December 7, a Turkish drone struck a vehicle near Shingal (Sinjar), assassinating a commander of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YPS) named Marwan Badal Haji. The commander’s assassination was confirmed by a Kurdish security agency. Yazidi rights groups denounced the attacks and called on both Baghdad and Erbil to stop “abuse” against the Yazidi community.
Syria
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said it foiled three attacks in ten days by Turkish-backed Syrian Proxies in the areas of the Autonomy Administration of North and East of Syria (AANES). Tensions between Turkish proxies and the SDF remain high, especially near Ain Essa and Tal Tamer towns. The SDF also denied attacking a Turkish occupation base and said it only “used the right to self-defense.”
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported more violations by Turkey and its proxies in the occupied Afrin region. At least nine civilians were arrested, including two women by Turkish intelligence and military police in Afrin, while Turkish-backed Jihadists of Al-Shamiyah took over Kurdish properties. Furthermore, the fate of two Kurdish women, Fidan Bilal and Wasal Noma’n, in a Turkish backed, Jihadist-ran prison of Al-Rai remains unknown. The two women lost two relatives under torture of the Turkish-backed Jihadists last year for accusations of connections to Kurdish forces.
- The AANES repatriated two children of Da’esh parents to the Swiss government on Tuesday. Stephanie Briart, Head of the Consular Protection Department at the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited the AANES’s foreign affairs department. The Kurdish officials continued warning about “new terrorists generation” growing up if the international community does not take necessary steps.
- Da’esh attacks continued against the Syrian Army in the Badia region, south of the Deir Ez Zor governorate amid constant Russian airstrikes. The area has seen increased Da’esh activities, especially since last year when the terror group launched attacks on oil and gas fields.
Turkey
- The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe reaffirmed the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights ruling, which called for the release of the jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas. The committee, which is an executive body of other European Councils, discussed dozens of resolutions and adopted 44 decisions in regards to several cases in European and regional countries. The Committee expressed “its profound concern” that Demirtas had been “deprived of his liberty since November 2016.”
- The “Kobani Trial” against 106 Pro-Kurdish politicians and activists resumed for only five minutes due to the absence of the defendants’ lawyers over forced conditions imposed on them and the trial. The HDP criticized the court and called the court “Kobanî Conspiracy Case.” Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities filed new summaries of proceedings to the parliament against 15 HDP politicians, aiming to strip their parliamentary immunity.
- On Saturday, Turkey raided the home of Sevgi Keskin, a prominent human rights activist and vice-president of the Turkish Human Rights Association (İHD). Keskin was not home during the raid, but later gave a statement to the police. The Turkish government has many cases against Keskin, including for her pro-human rights stances for the Kurdish population.