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A weekly brief of events occurred in the Kurdistan regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Iran
- Iranian authorities arrested a Kurdish soccer star named Voria Ghafouri in Tehran after he announced his retirement and delivered a farewell message to fans. Ghafouri has supported several anti-government protests, including the Zhina Amini uprising, and was accused of “incitement against the regime.” The Iranian regime also intensified its campaign of repression against Iranian Kurdistan and detained Shorsh Mohammedpour, Melad Nasri, Saman Aslani, Mokhtar Minbari in Senna, a French-Iranian Kurd named Amen Haidari in Kermanshah, an 18-year-old named Kawian Mawlodi in Mehabad, and Arash Younis in Ilam. Additionally, Iranian authorities in several Kurdish cities forced activists to sign written pledges promising they would not hold demonstrations when the government raises fuel prices. Moreover, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported the Iranian regime arrested more than 100 civilians in May, including 54 Kurds. Separately, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned an Iranian technology company named Arvan Cloud and its United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based affiliate for censoring the Internet in Iran.
Iraq
- On June 5, several Kurdish parties met to discuss ongoing tensions between the Iraqi military and local farmers in the areas surrounding Kirkuk. The Iraqi military has previously attempted to seize Kurdish and Turkmen-owned agricultural land and officially asked Kirkuk’s agricultural office to begin reallocating such properties on May 29. The Kurdish parties demanded that this request be halted immediately, and on June 2, a representative of Kirkuk’s farmers spoke at a press conference and vowed they would not give up their rights. That said, 12 Kurdish farmers were arrested in the village of Saragan on June 2 for cultivating lands claimed by the Iraqi military.
- On June 5, Nuri al Maliki’s Al Quds Al Arabi coalition announced that a vote on Iraq’s budget would take place this week. Several disputes regarding Iraqi Kurdistan’s share of the budget remain unresolved, however. The Council of Representatives is scheduled to begin a 30-day recess next week, and the Iraqi government is attempting to reach an agreement with Iraq’s Kurdish parties on the budget before then. If Iraq’s budget bill is not passed this week, it will be pushed to July.
- On June 4, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) reopened the Faysh Khabur border crossing with Syria after it was inexplicably closed on May 11. The Faish Khabur crossing remains a key economic link between Iraqi Kurdistan and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and a major access route for humanitarian aid. On another note, Iraqi Oil Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs Hayyan Abdul Ghani announced he had informed Turkey the Iraqi government was ready to resume oil exports on June 3. The exports were halted in March when the International Chamber of Commerce ordered Turkey to pay $1.5 billion in damages for facilitating unauthorized exports from the KRG. Abdul Ghani said his ministry is reviewing current contracts and developing an alternative plan with the KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources to maintain the price of gasoline in the event an agreement is not reached to resume exports.
- On May 30, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court ruled the Kurdistan Region Parliament’s extension of its term through 2023 was unconstitutional. The Kurdistan Parliament extended its four-year term by one year at the end of 2022 in response to disagreements between the three ruling parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and Gorran, on key issues like how to divide the region into electoral districts. Members of the Kurdistan Parliament have been asked to return their 2023 salaries and give up privileges such as parliamentary apartments.
Syria
- On June 5, North Press reported the number of Turkish housing projects in occupied Afrin increased from 19 in 2022 to 28 in 2023. These projects are often built in neighborhoods with Yazidi and Kurdish landmarks to suppress ethnic and cultural expression. The projects will eventually house Syrian refugees forcibly repatriated from Turkey.
- Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad met with several senior Iraqi officials in Baghdad, including President Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani, and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. Sudani’s office then announced that he had accepted a formal invitation to Damascus. Simultaneously, Hussein welcomed Syria’s return to the Arab League during a press conference and said, “Syria is going through a very difficult circumstance, and it needs action at the regional and international levels. The issue of the Syrian refugees is an essential part of this circumstance.” Hussien went on to say Iraq hosts 250,000 Syrian refugees, mostly in Iraqi Kurdistan.
- On May 31, fighting broke out between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and pro-Turkish counter-terrorism forces in Giri Spi (Tal Abyad), resulting in two injuries. On June 3, a “stray bullet” fired by Turkish proxies killed a 70-year-old Kurdish woman in occupied Afrin. Also on June 3, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Turkish-backed factions are harassing the families of victims of the March Nowruz shootings in Jinderis.
Turkey
- Jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas announced his resignation from “active politics” after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emerged victorious from the May 28 presidential runoff. Demirtas apologized to his supporters and vowed to “continue the struggle with resistance” from prison. Concomitantly, the co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, announced they would not run for leadership positions in the upcoming HDP congress. Though the HDP-affiliated Green Left Party (YSP) came away with 61 seats in May’s elections, it actually lost six seats and cited factionalism, government repression, and censorship as reasons for the disappointing result. Meanwhile, Erdogan announced his new cabinet and appointed his foreign spy chief, Hakan Fidan, as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Erdogan also welcomed a new Minister of Defense, Yaşar Güler, and a Kurdish Minister of Treasury and Finance who vowed to pursue “rational” economic policies. Granted, the Turkish lira hit a new low against the U.S. dollar as soon as Erdogan was declared the winner of Turkey’s presidential election.