Iran
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has published its 2024 annual report, documenting widespread human rights violations in Iran. The report reveals alarming increases in executions, arbitrary arrests, systematic violence, and abuses targeting marginalized groups.
- Executions: 901 individuals were executed, including 183 Kurds and 13 for political or religious activities.
- Arbitrary Arrests: 1,235 individuals were detained, with 51% being Kurds and 137 women among those arrested.
- Kurdish Kolbars: 339 kolbars (cross-border couriers) were killed or injured, with 81% targeted by Iranian armed forces.
- Femicide: 182 women were murdered, including 28 in so-called “honor killings,” often by relatives.
- Deaths in Custody: 22 prisoners died in Iranian prisons, with nine tortured to death, including several political prisoners.
- Landmine Victims: 57 individuals were killed or injured due to landmines and explosive ordnance.
The organization called for urgent international intervention to address these violations, stressing the need for accountability and protection under the principles of “Responsibility to Protect.”
So far in 2025, three Kurds were arrested by regime forces in Mahabad and Shahin Dej, signaling a continued crackdown on Kurdish communities in Iranian Kurdistan.
Iraq
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Finance has criticized the Iraqi federal government for failing to fulfill its financial obligations to the Kurdistan Region, leaving public employees in the Kurdistan Region unpaid for three months.
According to the Ministry, Baghdad has only transferred 10.75 trillion dinars out of the 11.58 trillion dinars allocated for 2024 under the Budget Law. This shortfall has forced the KRG to allocate approximately 960 billion dinars from its internal revenues to cover salary deficits. The Ministry accused Baghdad of using “insufficient liquidity” as an excuse to withhold payments and making the Kurdistan Region’s employees bear the brunt of its financial issues.
The statement also highlighted that the federal government has failed to allocate any funds for development projects in the Kurdistan Region for several years, further straining the Region’s internal resources, which have also been used to sustain critical public services such as healthcare, education, and utilities.
The KRG Ministry of Finance called on Baghdad to comply with its legal and constitutional obligations and to resolve the ongoing financial disputes promptly.The public employees in the Kurdistan Region remain unpaid for three months.
The recent events coincide with the ongoing suspension of Kurdistan’s oil exports, causing Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to lose nearly $24 billion, according to the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR).
Politically, the two main winners of the recent elections, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), are set to meet for the first time to discuss the formation of a new government following the elections held in October last year. Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), stated: “the people of Kurdistan clearly conveyed their message and will. Based on this foundation, it is essential to respond to the voice and demands of the people of Kurdistan, which can only be achieved by forming the new cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government as quickly as possible.”
Syria
The Turkish military and their Syrian proxies have continued attacks for over a month against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in North and East Syria. Most of the assaults have focused on the Tishreen Dam area, east of the Euphrates River. The SDF reported repelling several intense attacks by Turkish-backed factions, which were supported by Turkish airstrikes.
The clashes resulted in casualties on both sides, including the deaths of two Kurdish journalists in a Turkish drone strike and a child killed by Turkish artillery in Kobanê. Additionally, the SDF reported that dozens of Turkey’s proxy fighters were killed during the ongoing battles.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, addressing the ceasefire mediated by the United States between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkey, particularly in Kobane, stated: “The ceasefire is holding in the northern part of Syria. And we’re going to continue to monitor that, but we’re still focused on the mission that’s in Syria, which is to ensure the defeat of ISIS.” Singh affirmed, “There is no change to our partnership with the SDF.” “There is no change to our partnership with the SDF.”
Meanwhile, ISIS (Da’esh) terrorists carried out attacks in the region, targeting three towns—Manbij, Tel Rifaat, and Dier Jamal—on New Year’s Eve. On December 21, the SDF reported a successful operation against Da’esh cells in Raqqa, conducted in coordination with international coalition forces, which resulted in the capture of 18 terrorists. The SDF reiterated that defeating ISIS requires sustained international cooperation, warning that any resurgence would pose a significant global threat.
Politically, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Mazloum Abdi revealed in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that ground coordination had been ongoing since the second day of the military campaign against the Assad regime. However, Abdi clarified that direct negotiations with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Ahmed al-Sharaa—who ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on December 8—had not yet begun.
Abdi stressed that the SDF is open to integrating with the new Syrian army, but only after reaching a negotiated agreement. He called for Syria to remain united but transition into a decentralized political system.
Meanwhile, ongoing discussions among various Syrian Kurdish factions aim to establish a united approach regarding the future of Kurds in Syria, in preparation for potential negotiations with Damascus.
Turkey
Two prominent politicians from the Democratic Party (DEM), Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder, visited Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in his prison cell on İmralı Island after receiving permission from the Turkish government. The meeting, which took place on December 28, 2024, marked a vague attempt by the Turkish government to relaunch the peace process with the Kurds.
According to a statement released by the delegation, Öcalan was in good health and high spirits. During the meeting, he outlined proposals for resolving the long-standing Kurdish issue, emphasizing the urgency of strengthening Turkish-Kurdish unity and implementing democratic reforms. He also expressed his readiness to contribute positively to a new paradigm supported by key political figures, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the alt-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
This visit follows a previous meeting in October, when Öcalan was allowed to meet a family member after years of isolation and a ban on visits from both family and lawyers imposed by the Turkish government.
The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an organization associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), released a statement following Öcalan’s meeting, praising the Kurdish leader for his vision and proposals for peace. “As the freedom and peoples’ movement, we declare that the views of our leader published at the end of 2024, which are worth a manifesto, will be our compass of struggle in the new year,” read the statement.
The KCK also criticized the Turkish government for alleged crimes, including maintaining Öcalan’s isolation, deploying chemical weapons against PKK forces, committing severe legal violations such as torturing political prisoners, and enforcing emergency laws to suppress Kurdish communities.
In Syria, the KCK denounced Turkish-backed groups, accusing them of forcibly displacing over 100,000 Kurds from their homes in North and East Syria. “Women and children have been deliberately massacred within the scope of genocidal practices targeting the Kurdish people in North and East Syria,” the statement added.
Several Turkish pro-government and opposition parties have expressed hope for the peace process, including the CHP, the main opposition party, which has advocated for the peace process to be conducted within the framework of the parliament.
On Thursday, a delegation from the Democratic Party (DEM), including Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sırrı Süreyya Önder, MP Pervin Buldan, and veteran Kurdish politician Ahmet Türk—who was recently dismissed by the Turkish government from his mayoral position in Mardin—met with the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), Numan Kurtulmuş, to discuss their recent visit to İmralı.
The hour-long meeting was described as productive by Önder, who shared details afterward. “Together with Ahmet Türk and Pervin Buldan, we met with our esteemed Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Numan Kurtulmuş. We informed him about the meeting, listened to his suggestions, and conducted a general evaluation,” Önder said.
He also announced continuation of discussions with Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the MHP, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).