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A weekly brief of events occurred in the Kurdistan regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Iran
- The Iranian regime executed four Kurdish political prisoners on Monday at the infamous Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj. The four Kurds, Mohsen Mazloum, Vafa Azarbar, Pejman Fatehi, and Mohammad Faramarzi, were arrested in the summer of 2022 in Urmia and charged with spying for Israel, a charge often levied against political prisoners, and membership of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan. Mazloum, Azarbar, Fatehi, and Faramarzi were then sentenced to death in September 2023 for “spreading corruption on Earth.” Several human rights groups called for a public strike on Tuesday to protest the executions. The Komala Party and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) also condemned the executions and the regime. Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported the regime executed three more Kurdish men on charges unrelated to political activity. Lastly, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights revealed that Iranian authorities arrested fourteen Kurdish activists and civilians in Bokan, Piranshahr, Marivan, Shinno, Jwanro, Baneh, Miandoab, and Mehabad.
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on January 24 to discuss Gaza and trade opportunities. The Turkish state-owned outlet TRT World reported Erdogan also stressed the “importance of Iranian support in Turkey’s fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).” In addition, the Iranian government released footage of Raisi and Erdogan signing “ten cooperation documents” intended to expand “economic cooperation and regional interaction.”
Iraq
- A U.S. defense system foiled at least two drone attacks on a base inside Erbil International Airport. Iranian-backed militias previously struck the Khor Mor gas field with drones on Thursday, which caused millions of people to lose power. Meanwhile, Rudaw disclosed the Iraqi government did not file a complaint against Iran at the United Nations Security Council as it said it would after the Iranian ballistic missile attack on Erbil. Separately, the U.S. Treasury Department designated three leaders of Kata’ib Hezbollah and three companies, including the Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and al Huda Bank, for supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force (IRGC-QF) and Iranian-backed militias through activities like money laundering and arms smuggling. Finally, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials denounced Iran’s deadly attack on U.S. forces in Jordan and called it “cowardly.” At the same time, KRG officials expressed support for U.S. and Iraqi plans to discuss the bilateral security partnership between the two countries.
- The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) called on Congress to take action “to help persuade “ the Iraqi government to resume Kurdistan’s oil exports, which have paused since March of 2023. The APIKUR said that over ten billion dollars of US and international investment is at risk due to the pause of the exports. The APIKUR also called for the implementation of Iraq’s budget law in order for the investing companies in the region to be paid. Kurdistan’s public employees remain unpaid for the fourth month in a row as Baghdad refuses to release Kurdistan’s allocated budget.
Syria
- The Pentagon denied reports the U.S. was planning to withdraw from Syria. On January 22, al Monitor claimed U.S. officials discussed a plan to withdraw from Syria and protect the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) by partnering them with the Assad regime to fight ISIS (Da’esh). On another note, the SDF, backed by U.S. forces, launched a new security operation targeting Da’esh terrorists in al Hol camp, which continues to house thousands of Da’esh members and their relatives. SDF officials said Da’esh has been exploiting the “dire humanitarian conditions” of the camp and the “preoccupation of SDF military and security forces with confronting attacks from Turkey.” In addition, the SDF revealed Da’esh was planning an attack on al Hol in coordination with terror cells inside the camp. Simultaneously, the SDF conducted a massive security operation in Raqqa, arresting numerous criminals, Da’esh operatives, and Assad regime mercenaries.
Turkey
- On January 29, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) unveiled its candidates for the upcoming municipal elections during a significant gathering in Diyarbakir (Amed). Beyond the Kurdish Region, the DEM party has nominated candidates in at least three provinces, including Konya, Mersin, and Kaysari. In Istanbul, one of the country’s largest Kurdish constituencies, the DEM party has not yet disclosed its candidates, pending ongoing discussions with the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). In the 2019 elections, Kurdish voters in Istanbul supported the CHP candidate, who is the current mayor, in a bid against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by President Erdogan. However, it remains uncertain whether the DEM will endorse the CHP candidate again, considering the opposition’s stance on the Kurdish question. On a different matter, the DEM party strongly condemned the terrorist attack that occurred during a Sunday mass in Istanbul, resulting in the death of a civilian. The party pointed fingers at the government, attributing the attack to what they called “racist, marginalizing, and discriminatory” policies.