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A Digest of Events in the Kurdistan Regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Iran
- On September 25, Iran’s Guardian Council approved the controversial “Hijab and Chastity Bill.” The law legitimizes the use of violence to enforce mandatory hijab laws, expands gender segregation in public spaces, and grants intelligence agencies significant enforcement authority. Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (VAJA), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the Islamic Republic of Iran Police Intelligence Organization (SAFA) now have far more authority to enforce laws that were once the primary responsibility of the “morality police.” Penalties for violations of moral statutes now range from fines and imprisonment to 74 lashes for mocking the hijab and even the death penalty for some hijab-related offenses.
- The Iranian regime sentenced the father, sister, and brother-in-law of Kurdish political prisoner Pakshan Azizi — Aziz Azizi, Pershang Azizi, and Hossein Abbasi — to one year in prison. Pakshan Azizi is facing the death penalty, and another Kurd, Ayoub Anisi Yengjeh, received a two-year sentence in connection with Azizi’s case. On September 22, the Tehran Court of Appeals upheld all four prison sentences. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported that Pakshan Azizi’s relatives were convicted of “assisting a criminal,” and Yengjeh was charged with “conspiring against international security.” Pakshan Azizi was sentenced to death for rebellion after participating in the anti-government protests that followed Zhina Amini’s death in September 2022. Concurrently, the Iranian regime issued harsh sentences to three more Kurds, including a 64-month sentence to Kurdish journalist Mostafa Nemati in Tehran. The regime also sentenced a 52-year-old Kurdish man from Shinno to two years in prison, and the Supreme Court of Iran upheld the death sentence of a Kurdish political prisoner from Turkey’s Kurdish region named Hatem Ozdemir. Meanwhile, at least five people were arrested in Bokan and Diwandara, and Iranian authorities shot two Kurdish border porters (kolbars) near Baneh on September 23.
Iraq
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani in New York on September 23 and discussed the importance of reopening the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline to promote foreign investment in Iraq’s economy. The pipeline, which moves oil exports from Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey, has been closed since Iraq successfully sued Turkey to prevent it from allowing Iraqi Kurdistan to export oil independently in March 2023. The pipeline remains shut despite Baghdad’s assertions it will reopen soon, and its closure has cost Iraq an estimated 20 billion dollars. Blinken and al Sudani also emphasized the U.S. and Iraq’s strategic partnership and the two countries’ shared commitment to achieving regional stability and the enduring defeat of ISIS (Da’esh). The U.S. and Iraq recently agreed to wind down and conclude the U.S.-led coalition’s counter-Da’esh mission in Iraq by September 2025.
- President of Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani expressed profound concerns about the escalating conflicts in the Middle East and emphasized such developments pose a significant risk to the security of the entire region. “We must recognize that the continuation of this situation will inevitably lead to further calamities and devastation for all parties involved. It is essential for the well-being of the region that all parties respond with prudence and measured actions,” said Barzani at a recent press conference. Barzani went on to stress the importance of dialogue and cooperation to de-escalate tensions and seek peaceful resolutions to disputes. The recent conflict between Israel and the Iranian-led “Axis of Resistance” has halted numerous flights to the Middle East and previously caused Lufthansa to suspend all flights to Erbil from July 29 to August 27.
- The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) welcomed the start of campaigning for Iraqi Kurdistan’s upcoming parliamentary elections. The elections are scheduled for October 20 and will be the region’s sixth since Iraqi Kurdistan became semiautonomous in 1991. UNAMI released a statement that underscored the need for political parties to engage in a healthy competition of ideas that remains free from intimidation or threats. UNAMI also called for all candidates, political parties, and media outlets to foster an atmosphere of inclusivity and dialogue and ensure that women, who often face unique challenges during elections, can participate fully. A total of 139 lists will compete in October’s elections, including 13 political parties, 85 independent candidates, and 39 quota seat candidates.
Syria
- The U.S. conducted two targeted strikes in Syria that eliminated at least 37 terrorists from Da’esh and the al Qa’ida affiliate Hurras ad Din. The first strike targeted a Da’esh training camp in central Syria on September 16 and killed at least 28 Da’esh terrorists, including four senior leaders. The second strike targeted a site in northwest Syria on September 24 and killed nine Hurras ad Din terrorists, including Marwan Bassam Abd al Ra’uf, a senior leader responsible for military operations in Syria. Meanwhile, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) executed multiple raids targeting Da’esh cells in Raqqa and Deir Ez Zor. On September 17, the SDF captured two Da’esh operatives in Raqqa, Muhammed al-Rukhus and Ahmad al-Rukhus, who were transporting weapons and facilitating attacks on military and civilian targets. Also in Raqqa, the SDF captured a Da’esh terrorist named Muhammad al Jojah AKA Abu Abboud on September 24. Al Jojah was responsible for smuggling the Da’esh child soldiers known as the “Caliphate Cubs” out of detention camps in northeastern Syria. Lastly, on September 29, the SDF, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, arrested two Da’esh operatives in Deir Ez Zor, Mohammed Hassan Saleh and Bashar Jaan al Hamid, who were procuring weapons and ammunition for the organization.
- The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria’s (AANES) Social Justice Council announced that 1,520 convicts are covered under the AANES’s General Amnesty Law No. 10 of 2024. The decision to implement Amnesty Law No. 10 was motivated by an effort to reduce overcrowding in AANES-administered detention camps and to honor a 2020 agreement with local Arab tribes. 1,120 of the convicts have already been released in batches, and the remaining 400 will be freed similarly once they have served half of their sentences. Some non-combatants affiliated with Da’esh have also benefited from the amnesty, but individuals who fought against the SDF, leaders of terrorist organizations, and those convicted of serious crimes like treason or bombings are excluded from it.
- Amid the escalating situation in Lebanon and the growing challenges faced by Syrian refugees, the Kurdish-led AANES has announced the creation of a Crisis Cell responsible for receiving and settling those returning to the region. In less than a week, 7,703 Syrians and Lebanese have entered AANES-controlled areas.
Turkey
- On September 24, Turkish police raided the Mesopotamian Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER), Payîz Pirtûk bookstore, and the Anka Language and Arts Education Cooperative in Diyarbakir (Amed) as part of an ongoing investigation by the prosecutor’s office. Authorities seized publications and electronic devices. The raids led to the detention of 23 individuals, who were denied access to legal representation for 24 hours. The operation, which included searches of employees’ homes, drew immediate condemnation from Kurdish leaders and organizations, accusing the state of suppressing Kurdish language and culture. “Kurdish people have the right to use their own language in public and in education and to receive information in their mother tongue. Our linguistic riches should be celebrated, not destroyed,” said Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President. Simultaneously, the police arrested members of the Kurdish Koma Hevra for singing Kurdish songs at a public concert. In recent months, the Turkish government has escalated its crackdown on the Kurdish language, including raiding weddings where Kurdish songs, labeled by the authorities as “terror propaganda” music, were being played. On a separate note, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) building in Istanbul’s Sultangazi district was targeted in an armed attack, marking yet another hate crime against the Kurdish community in Turkey.