Kurdistan's Weekly Brief | February 13, 2024

A weekly brief of events occurred in the Kurdistan regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

Iran

Urmia’s Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced a Kurdish imam in Bokan named Mohammed Khezrnazhad to death. Mohammed has been imprisoned for over one year on charges of “corruption on Earth” for criticizing Iranian authorities during a ceremony honoring a deceased protestor in 2022. Additionally, Safa A’aeli, the uncle of the late Kurdish woman Zhina Amini, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison. The regime also sentenced a female activist in Saqqez named Samira Ahmadi to three years in prison, a Kurdish athlete named Sherko Hijazim to six years in prison, and a Kurdish language teacher named Azad Amini to three years in prison. At the same time, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported the Iranian regime arrested three Kurds in Kamyaran, Mehabad, and Dewalan. Separately, Iranian border guards fatally shot a Kurdish border porter (kolbar) and wounded five others in separate incidents near Baneh. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported another kolbar died of frostbite near Marivan on Tuesday.

On Saturday, Iraq’s Council of Representatives held a “consultative session” to condemn recent U.S. airstrikes on Iranian-backed militias and discuss the expulsion of U.S. forces from Iraq. Only 77 lawmakers from Iranian-backed parties attended the session, which was boycotted by Kurdish, Sunni, and even some Shi’ite lawmakers. The session’s participants eventually decided to form a parliamentary committee to focus on ending the U.S. presence in Iraq, but many Iraqi politicians remain opposed to such a move because ISIS (Da’esh) remains a serious threat. On February 7, a U.S. airstrike killed Kata’ib Hezbollah commander Abu Baqir al Saadi and two of his guards in Baghdad. Al Saadi was responsible for planning and conducting attacks on U.S. forces in the region.

Iraqi Minister of Oil Hayan Abdul Ghani said talks with foreign oil companies operating in Iraqi Kurdistan were close to reaching a solution that would entail the resumption of Iraqi Kurdistan’s oil exports. Ghani did not provide a specific timeline on the issue. The ongoing halt of Iraqi Kurdistan’s oil exports has cost Iraq at least seven billion dollars since March 2023, when the International Chamber of Commerce issued a ruling that favored Baghdad and prohibited the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) from independently exporting oil. The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) called for the U.S. Congress to pressure the Iraqi government into allowing the resumption of oil exports because the pause threatens over ten billion dollars worth of American and international investments in the region.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Commander Mazloum Abdi granted an exclusive interview to Reuters and demanded the U.S. provide the SDF with an air defense system to halt future drone attacks. A drone attack perpetrated by Iranian-backed militias killed six SDF personnel on February 4. On February 10, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that Iranian-backed militias attacked U.S. forces in Deir ez Zor twice with rockets and drones but caused no casualties. On Monday night, several local sources in Deir ez Zor reported additional U.S. strikes on pro-Iran militias in the area. Concomitantly, the SDF released a statement claiming Assad regime militias killed four SDF members near Deir ez Zor. Several Da’esh attacks killed five more SDF personnel across northeastern Syria last week. Meanwhile, on Sunday, a Turkish drone targeted a clinic in Qamishli, resulting in the deaths of two commanders of the Kurdish Women’s Defence Units (YPJ). The YPJ emphasizes that the fallen commanders played a crucial role in combating Da’esh terrorists in the region. The Autonomous Administration of North and East of Syria (AANES) describes the attack as a “clear message” of support from Turkey to Da’esh. Lastly, the Turkish-backed factions arrested thirty two civilians in January, demanding ransom and confiscating their property.

On February 9, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) revealed its candidates for the March 31 local elections. In the Istanbul mayoral race, the DEM party nominated two senior members, Meral Beştaş and Murat Çepni, following the withdrawal of Başak Demirtaş, the wife of the jailed Kurdish politician, Selahattin Demirtaş. Beştaş stated to the ANF news that the party has no intention of supporting or causing losses for another party, emphasizing their goal to win. “If we succeed in Istanbul, we will succeed in the whole country and spread our ideas of an equal and coexistent life for everyone,” said Beştaş. Contrary to 2019, the pro-Kurdish party has not endorsed the CHP’s candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and is entering the race, making it a three-way competition to win Istanbul. On a separate note, the Turkish government arrested several journalists in Izmer and at least nine people in Istanbul, mainly pro-Kurdish voices.