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A weekly brief of events occurred in the Kurdistan regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Iran
- After being awarded the 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament, upon returning to Tehran, the Iranian authorities interrogated Salah Nikbakhat, the lawyer representing Zhini Amini’s family. Additionally, they seized the award, preventing its delivery to Amini’s family, who had been barred from traveling by the authorities. Concurrently, the regime executed a Kurdish man named Dawood Abdullahi after being jailed since 2009. Abdullahi was accused of a crime that he denied, amidst reports by rights groups of a coerced confession under torture. Recently, a Kurdish prisoner in Urmia lost his life under torture, bringing the total deaths in detention to eight in 2023. Meanwhile, two Kurds were arrested, including a labor activist in Karaj and a man in Urmia. Simultaneously, there was an intense crackdown on border porters (kolbar), resulting in one death and five injuries near Baneh. According to the annual report by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Iranian border guards killed 41 kolbars in 2023, with 259 others wounded. Furthermore, the regime executed 823 people, including 31 prisoners. The highest numbers of victims were among the Balochis at 21.5%, followed by the Kurds at 18.5%.
Iraq
- The Iranian-backed militias renewed attacks on the Kurdistan Region, targeting the US presence and Peshmerga forces. On December 25, drone attacks on a facility housing US forces at Erbil International Airport (EIA) wounded three service members. In retaliation, three US airstrikes targeted facilities of Kataib Hezbollah, resulting in the death of a terrorist and the injury of more than a dozen others. Furthermore, three additional one-way drones, aiming at the EIA, were successfully intercepted by the US defense system on separate occasions. On December 31, the Iranian-backed militias also claimed responsibility for an attack on a Peshmerga forces base near Pirmam, northeast of Erbil. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barznani condemned the “outlaws” and urged the Iraqi government to respond with “appropriate action.”
- Turkish drones struck Kurdish villages near the Agjalar subdistrict between Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk. The head of Agjalar subdistrict told Rudaw that the airstrikes had instilled fear and led to evictions among the residents of the villages, refuting the presence of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) elements—a pretext used by Turkey. Simultaneously, Turkish warplanes and drones targeted several areas in Dohuk province.
Syria
- On December 23, Turkish forces initiated an extensive airstrike campaign on the Autonomous Administration for North and East of Syria (AANES) areas, resulting in the death of nine civilians and the injury of eighteen. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a Turkish drone struck a printing house east of Qamishli, killing six victims. Simultaneously, three others were killed in airstrikes on a cotton factory, a silo, and a fuel distribution center. These airstrikes marked the second in 2023 targeting infrastructure, including oil fields. Mazloum Abdi, the Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), characterized the attacks as taking “a dangerous turn” and urged Turkey to address its internal issues within its borders. The AANES accused Turkey’s ruling party of avoiding domestic crises before elections, aiming to distract Turkish voters with an illusion of national security. According to SDF statistics for 2023, Turkey launched 798 attacks on the AANES, resulting in the death of 39 civilians, including eleven children, and 83 civilians wounded. The SDF reported that 173 of its ranks were killed by Turkey, ISIS (Da’esh), and the Syrian regime in 2023.
- On December 28, the SDF announced the death of a “dangerous” Da’esh leader inside al Hol camp, with support from the US-led global coalition. The terrorist, known as “Abu Obaida al Iraqi,” refused to surrender during a raid on the camp and attempted to detonate his “suicide vest” before security forces shot him. The deceased terrorist was accused of killing women and children inside the camp, orchestrating attacks on security forces, and smuggling the so-called “Cubs of the Caliphate” outside the camp. The SDF claimed 73 anti-Da’esh operations in 2023, resulting in the arrest of 352 terrorists with US support.
- At least three civilians were killed in the exchange of bombardment between the Syrian regime and Turkish proxies in two villages near the Turkish-occupied Sherwa district. The fire exchange between the Syrian regime and Turkey’s proxies led to civilian casualties, mainly Kurds. Separately, in occupied Afrin, Turkey and their Syrian proxies killed 68 civilians in 2023.
Turkey
- In protest against his imprisonment, the jailed Kurdish politician, Selahattin Demirtas, opted not to participate in his father’s funeral. His father, Tahir Demirtas, passed away on December 31. On Tuesday, Demirtas appeared in his hearing in the “Kobani Case” via a video conference, dedicating his defense to his late father. Several opposition figures extended condolences to Demirtas, while the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), formerly known as the HDP, described Demirtas as a “hostage in prison,” criticizing the government for “separating families from their children.” Separately, the DEM Party denounced the Turkish airstrikes on the Kurdish Region in Syria, calling the government’s policy toward Syrian Kurds a commission of war crimes. “It is clear that the main target of the attacks is the Kurds, and the targeting of civilian settlements and innocent people is an indication of this,” read a statement by the DEM Party. Simultaneously, municipal election fever has spread in Turkey, set to be held on March 31, with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) announcing their candidate on January 15.