Iran
In a sweeping crackdown across Iranian Kurdistan, security forces of the Iranian regime have arrested, harassed, and intimidated scores of Kurdish citizens simply for celebrating Newroz, the Kurdish New Year. According to data compiled by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 41 individuals, including six children and several women, were arrested as of March 21 — with many dozens more detained in the days that followed, as the crackdown intensified through March 30.
The arrests occurred across multiple Kurdish-majority cities including Marivan, Sardasht, Urmia, Senna, Saqqez, Piranshahr, Shino, and Kermanshah. In addition to detentions, thousands more were reportedly summoned for questioning or threatened by intelligence agencies in an attempt to suppress participation in the annual celebration — a deeply symbolic expression of Kurdish culture, identity, and resistance.
Among those detained were young children and teenagers, such as a 10-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy from Sardasht, as well as 17-year-old Keyhan Tadberi, who was reportedly severely beaten before being taken to a detention center in Senna. In Urmia, two teenage sisters, 16-year-old Avin Ahmadi and 17-year-old Sariya Ahmadi, were arrested after wearing traditional Kurdish clothing adorned with the Kurdistan flag. Their cousin, 22-year-old Rojbin Afsoon, was also detained and remains missing.
A 78-year-old poet and cultural elder, Saifollah Khan Ghafari Bashbolagh, was arrested in Saqqez after reciting a poem about freedom at a Newroz ceremony. He was later charged with “disturbing public order.”
Civil activists, including married couple Shno Mohammadi and Sahab (Ariwan) Shakeri, were arrested at their home in Senna during a raid conducted without a warrant. The couple’s whereabouts remain unknown, and authorities have refused to give their family any information.
Religious activist Shekh Zahid Shahabi was detained after speaking and igniting the symbolic Newroz fire during a peaceful ceremony in Saqqez. His Khaniqah — the “Path to Freedom” — was raided by intelligence forces, and religious books were thrown out into the street. Zahid’s arrest came months after his brother, Azad Shahabi, was assassinated in what civil society members described as a politically motivated killing.
Artist and playwright Karwan Dafei, 25, was arrested in the streets of Marivan. His detention appears to be directly linked to his role in organizing cultural events during the Newroz period.
A former political prisoner from Marivan, Tahsin Dadras, was also among those arrested, alongside multiple others from the region. In many villages, including Ney and Doleh-Garm, dozens of residents were summoned, and several arrested, despite attempts by authorities to prevent gatherings from taking place.
The detainees included at least six children and several women, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the crackdown — targeting people across age, gender, and role in society.
Newroz, which symbolizes renewal and resistance in Kurdish culture, has often coincided with uprisings and acts of defiance throughout history. One of the most significant moments of this year’s Newroz celebrations took place in Urmia, where tens of thousands of Kurds gathered in an unprecedented event, singing Kurdish songs and holding concerts in a powerful display of cultural pride. In response, the Iranian regime mobilized thousands of ultra-nationalist Turks — predominantly Shi’a and aligned with the Islamic Republic — to stage protests against the Kurdish festivities. Some of these groups went so far as to call for violence and massacres against the Kurdish population, turning a peaceful cultural celebration into a flashpoint for ethnic hostility.
Iraq
Three Iraqi security personnel, including an army battalion commander and a police officer, were injured in a clash with the Sinjar Protection Units (YBS) in Sinjar (Shingal) district. The clashes were initiated at a checkpoint between the two forces, resulting in the arrest of several Yazidi Kurds. Locals held protests over arrests in the Yazidi community following t heclash. but the Iraqi military did not released the detainees despite as deescalation are reached, according to Shafaq news. Yazidi Kurdish lawmaker, Vian Dakhil, has called on the Iraqi Parliament to summon Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and senior security officials for an emergency session following the recent violent clashes. Expressing deep concern over the ongoing instability, Dakhil emphasized that the violence has further endangered civilians and obstructed the return and recovery of displaced Yazidis.
Separately, the Iraqi parliament has once again postponed the vote to grant provincial status to Halabja, citing a lack of quorum despite 129 lawmakers being present. According to Kurdistan24, the session was delayed earlier in the day due to absenteeism, with some MPs reportedly distracted by a televised football match between Iraq and Palestine in the parliament cafeteria. The Kurdish lawmaker Sipan Sherwani criticized the lack of seriousness among lawmakers, saying many still resist recognizing Halabja, despite its tragic history as a victim of chemical attacks.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Shakhawan Abdullah, announced that there will be “No parliamentary meeting will take place if Halabja is not the first item on the agenda,” stating that the Halabja bill must be listed as the first item on the parliamentary agenda for any session to proceed.
On a different note, on March 19, Haibat Halbousi, chairman of the Iraqi parliament’s oil and gas committee, announced that oil exports from the Kurdistan Region are set to officially resume next week. He highlighted progress on amending the budget law and reaching agreements for export routes through Turkey’s Ceyhan port. However, despite ongoing pressure from the United States and the United Kingdom to restore Kurdish oil exports, Iraq has yet to activate the flow, which has been halted since March 2023.
The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) responded to Haibat Halbousi’s remarks by clarifying that no agreement has been finalized to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region. The group emphasized that no official timeline has been set, and key technical, legal, and political issues remain unresolved.
Syria
On March 17, a Turkish drone strike targeted an area between the villages of Qomji and Barkh Botan, south of Kobani, killing nine civilians from the same family, including several children, and injuring two others. The victims were reportedly working on their farmland when the strike occurred. This comes as Turkish-backed Syrian proxies continue attacking the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdish areas near the Tishreen Dam.
According to the SDF, Turkey continues to escalate its military activities in northern and eastern Syria, despite ongoing international efforts to negotiate a nationwide ceasefire. In addition to launching repeated attacks, Turkey is secretly expanding its military presence by constructing new bases under the cover of night, particularly in areas south and east of Manbij and around Kobani. Key locations include Qara Qwzaq Hill, the western bank of the Euphrates River, and the village of Hassan Agha.
The recent developments coincided with the ongoing campaign by the SDF and the U.S.-led Coalition targeting ISIS (Da’esh) terrorists, which included the arrest of a senior ISIS member in Tabqa and another inside al-Hol camp. During these operations, weapons were seized.
Politically, in her interview with Rudaw, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reaffirmed Germany’s strong stance on supporting Kurdish rights, especially in the context of Syria’s future. She praised the Kurdish role in defeating ISIS and emphasized that Kurds must have their identity, language, and security recognized in any future Syrian constitution. Baerbock also stressed the importance of Kurdish unity in political decision-making. At the same time, she made it clear that Germany will not provide funding to Islamist groups in Syria and that continued German support for reconstruction and aid depends on an inclusive, democratic political process. She warned the new interim Syrian leadership that words are not enough and Germany will only support real action toward stability, rights, and inclusion.
On March 30, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) strongly rejected the newly formed government in Damascus, stating that it fails to reflect Syria’s diversity and continues the same exclusionary and centralized policies of the previous regime. In a statement, the Syrian Kurds emphasized that any government that does not include fair and meaningful representation of all ethnic, religious, and political components of Syria will only deepen the crisis, not solve it. They declared that they would not recognize or implement decisions made by a government that marginalizes communities like theirs. Reaffirming their commitment to a democratic, decentralized Syria, the AANES called for an inclusive political process that respects citizenship, equal participation, and an end to domination by any single faction.
Turkey
In a statement, the Legal and Human Rights Commission of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) condemned what it described as a deepening crisis of democracy and rule of law in Turkey, citing the unlawful removal and detention of elected officials, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and several co-mayors from Şişli and Beylikdüzü. The commission accused the government of using fabricated charges and secret witnesses to suppress democratic governance and warned that mass arrests, police violence, and protest bans across cities like Istanbul, Ankara, and Van reflect a broader authoritarian crackdown. Between March 19 and 27, nearly 1,879 people were detained, including university students, journalists, and academics, with reports of torture, excessive force, and arbitrary detention. The DEM Party emphasized that judicial abuses and police repression cannot silence the people’s democratic will, and called for the immediate release of detainees and accountability for state violence, pledging to continue the struggle for a democratic and just society in Turkey.
In regards to the peace process, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used his Eid al-Fitr message to warn that Turkey’s “patience” with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disarm is running out. However, the PKK had already declared a unilateral ceasefire following a public letter from Abdullah Ocalan, yet the Turkish government continued its military operations against Syrian Kurds and PKK positions in Iraqi Kurdistan. The PKK has stated that any move toward dissolution would require Ocalan’s presence at a party conference, making his freedom a precondition for such a step.
The future of the peace process remains uncertain, particularly amid ongoing Turkish attacks on Kurdish regions in Syria and legal prosecutions targeting Kurdish politicians within Turkey.