Iranian Kurdistan: Increased Pressure Imposed on Supporters of the Iraqi Kurdistan Referendum
Photo courtesy of KHRN
On 29 September 2017, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network denounces the continuous arrests of Iranian Kurdistan citizens in various cities. Iranian Security forces were sent to Kurdish cities to prevent riots and to condemn separatist behaviour. Kurdish activists have been forbidden to take part in future demonstrations and were forcibly interrogated by Iranian intelligence. Some Kurdish activists have been detained since then and their families gathered in front of the Sanandaj prison to demand their freeing. Iranian forces also interrupted phone coverage in the region to prevent people from organising to take the streets. Overall, support for self-determination has been harshly repressed through State-sponsored human rights violations.
This article below was published by Kurdish Human Rights Network.
In the past few days, Iranian security forces have arrested several Kurdish citizens in various cities of Kurdistan where there is also high security alert due to the widespread presence of anti-riot and plain-clothes forces.According to the latest reports received by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), following a gathering to support the referendum on the independence of Kurdistan on the evening of Monday, Sept 25, 2017, riot and plainclothes forces in several cities raided citizens in the streets and arrested dozens of them who were then transferred to the Security and Intelligence Police Detention Centres.
Also, a number of Kurdish activists in various cities have been Interrogated at the Intelligence headquarters for participating in these gatherings and obliged not to participate in such gatherings in the future.The family of detainees in Sanandaj gathered in front of the disciplinary force building yesterday and called for the release of their detained relatives,” an informed source in Sanandaj told KHRN.
This source identified some of the detainees in Sanandaj as Arsalan Alimoradi, Moslem Saeedpour, Peyman Menger, Abdolbasit Amini, Sina Zandzalimi, and Mohammad Monbari. “A number of detainees are scheduled to be released today and tomorrow, but there is still no information on the fate of individuals arrested by security forces in their homes.”, the source added.Informed sources in the cities of Saqez, Javanrood and Kamyaran have also reported the arrest of about 30 Kurdish citizens. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network has identified some of these individuals as: Kamyaran: Layegh Rahmani, Yaser Farajooni and Fereydoon KarimiJavan Rood: Ako Yari, Kamal Zaheri, Hadi Bazani (these people were released after 24 hours of detention but about 10 others are still in the Javan Rood intelligence detention centre). Saghez: Bakhtiar Khoshnam (former political prisoner).
Irancell’s telephone Operator has been completely interrupted in the various cities of Kurdistan since noon yesterday and the Internet is extremely low in some cities while there is no internet access in Piranshahr, Sardasht and Baneh. According to various sources, the presence of anti-riot forces in the streets of the city was reduced today while witnesses have reported that presence of security forces and plainclothes is becoming increasingly more apparent.
Kurdistan Human Rights Network released the identity of a number of detainess in the cities of Bukan and Mahabad earlier. However, the fate and the identity of other detainees remIns unknown due to the interruption of Irancell’s telephone Operator and Internet speeds in these cities.
