The Kurdish Human Rights Situation Report in September 2021
This is KMMK’s monthly report, September 2021, on the human rights situation in eastern Kurdistan. This report summarizes key human rights issues on events during July 2020, including executions, detentions, homocide, torture and suicide. Data is collected from several sources of KMMK, including direct reports.
This report does not include every issue and event. The absence of an issue is due to resource limitations, restriction to access to the country, the availability of information, and silencing independent voices, civil and human rights groups by the Iranian government.
In September 2021 Iranian government continued its disregard for basic human rights by discrimination, illegal detention of Kurdish citizens, torture and closing off any possibility of organized political activities that are not fully aligned with its propaganda.
Execution:
The policy of executions continued this month, with one person being executed by the Iranian government in the provinces of Kurdistan.
Terror and Enforced Disappearances:
Three prisoners were killed in jail this month and their deaths were reported as suspicious. One citizen was also murdered by direct fire from Iranian forces.
Arrest and Detention
This month we have seen the continued arrest and detention of citizens in Urmia, Sanandaj, Krmashan, Mahabad, Khorramabad, Ilam, Hamedan and Lorestan. According to statistics gathered this month, 49 citizens, civil and political activists were arrested or have been sentenced to prison by the Iranian government. According to the collected statistics, 9 citizens were sentenced to imprisonment this month. Most of the arrests were made without an arrest warrant. In most cases, the detention of these people was accompanied by beatings. In addition, 2 of the detainees are environmental activists in Kurdistan
Kolbar (worker) and worker:
Kolbar (Kurdish: کۆڵبەر) is a worker who is employed to carry goods across borders on his back. Most of the Kolbars live in Eastern Kurdistan and come from the poorest regions of the region. Kolbars are mostly considered illegal and have no insurance, pension plans and unions.
As always, the Kolbars were attacked directly by the Iranian armed forces. The “Iranian Revolutionary Guard Qods”, known as the terrorist group, and the Iranian border guards also directly attacked the Kolbers this month, killing 8 Kolbars and injuring 6 others.
In most cases, the Kolbars were the direct target of these forces and were killed by the Iranian military.
It should be noted that so far no institution in Iran and Kurdistan has taken constructive action in this regard and no one has been prosecuted for this crime.
Suicide and Immolation:
The number of citizen suicides is increasing and we have seen an increase in suicides by citizens, especially young people and women. Suicides and murders of 7 other people were reported that month. 5 of them are women and 2 men.
KMMK encourages the Kurdish people in East Kurdistan to practice their basic human rights and to report the discrimination and human rights violations by the Iranian regime to international institutions and the world.
Kurdistan Human Rights Association (KMMK) e. V.
