Attack by 100 Officers on Protesters in Agh-Dareh Takab; Dozens Detained with 'Violence'

Two human rights organizations in Kurdistan reported that the Islamic Republic's police and special forces clashed with residents of Agh-Dareh village in Takab County, West Azerbaijan Province, shooting at them and detaining a number of villagers. On the other hand, the police commander of Takab accused the detainees of being 'disturbers of order and security' at the mine. Hengaw reported on Tuesday, August 1st, that following protests by the people of Agh-Dareh against the non-employment of local residents at the Agh-Dareh gold mine on Sunday, July 30th, which 'escalated into violence due to government intervention, special forces attacked the village early Tuesday morning.' According to this human rights organization, these forces 'injured or detained dozens of citizens with violence.' Hengaw noted that the attack involved 100 special and police forces between 3 and 5 AM on Tuesday, stating that 'nearly 50 Kurdish citizens' were detained through 'violence.' The identities of nearly 30 of the detainees have been confirmed, including Abdullah Aftabi, Zakaria Yarahmadi, Farhad Anousheh, Khodr Bahramian, Payam Bahramian, Abdullah Khosravi, Kamal Khosravi, Khalil Aftabi, and Khalid Momeni, and there is still 'no accurate information available about their fate.' Hengaw added that the special forces, during their 'assault on Agh-Dareh village, destroyed homes and also vehicles belonging to the people,' causing 'significant financial damage to the villagers.' The attack by special and police forces occurred after a number of young people from 'Agh-Dareh Vosta' held a protest in front of the village's gold mine, demanding employment for local youth in the mine. According to this organization and the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, the gathering of the village youth was 'escalated into violence by the repressive government forces,' who 'fired on the protesting people.' According to the report, during the shooting, at least three individuals named Nasser Bahramian, Hojjat Momenzadeh, and Armin Nikzad were severely injured and transferred to hospitals in Urmia and Zanjan. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported that 'the families of the detainees gathered in front of the police station in Takab, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.' Meanwhile, according to Fars News Agency, Reza Mozaffari, the police commander of Takab, reported the arrest of 'disturbers of order and security,' stating: 'Following the illegal gathering of the residents of Agh-Dareh Vosta, which led to the blockage of the road to the mine in this village and hindered production, economy, and security in the area, several individuals were arrested.' He did not mention the attack by special and police forces on the village early Tuesday morning, stating: 'Despite calls for calm and the conclusion of the gathering by officials, including the presence of the head and members of the county security council, unfortunately, the protesters disrupted public order.' Earlier, according to Kurdpress, following the gathering on Sunday and the shooting at the protesters, which was conducted to 'restore order and tranquility,' Mahdi Taghizadeh, the prosecutor of Takab, stated in an interview that efforts were being made to 'resolve the issue,' an effort that was accompanied by the attack on the village and the detention of dozens. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network noted that 'over the past year, several officials in West Azerbaijan Province had promised the residents of Agh-Dareh Vosta that a number of local workers would be employed at the gold mine, but no action has been taken in this regard.' Kurdpress reported on Sunday that 'local witnesses reported the dismissal of local workers under false pretenses and broken promises by the mine owner for continued service or employment.' According to this report, the management of the mine, despite its substantial revenues, has essentially ignored the demands of the people in this region and has refrained from meeting even their minimum demands.' The Agh-Dareh gold mine is considered the second-largest gold mine in Iran. This is not the first protest by the residents of Agh-Dareh regarding employment at the gold mine in this area. Previously, on June 15, 2017, a number of residents from the villages of Agh-Dareh Olya, Vosta, Sofla, and Angourd gathered in protest against widespread unemployment and the destruction of pastures due to the consequences of mining activities in front of this unit. This gathering escalated into violence due to complaints from mine owners and intervention by the police, resulting in 13 injuries. Prior to that, 17 dismissed workers from the Agh-Dareh mine were sentenced to fines, prison, and 30 to 100 lashes on charges of 'disrupting public order.' The issuance of these sentences led to widespread protests from activists and labor, professional, civil organizations, as well as social media users. In recent years, with the expansion of labor and professional protests in Iran, the security and judicial apparatus of the Islamic Republic has intensified its crackdown on protesters. These crackdowns have led to widespread arrests of workers, teachers, retirees, and their activists. Nevertheless, protests continue in various regions of Iran.