Dozens of Kurdish Citizens Arrested Following Protests Related to the Kurdistan Region Referendum

According to reports from various news sources, over 60 participants in street celebrations related to the independence referendum of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq were arrested on the 4th and 5th of Mehr in western cities of Iran, with some still imprisoned. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran quoted an unnamed citizen from Sanandaj, stating that the police were merely observers of the citizens' celebrations on Monday, the 3rd of Mehr, but the following evening, security forces arrested 27 participants from their homes. The report indicated that among those arrested were 'even children under 18' and 'elderly individuals,' and on the evening of the 5th of Mehr, a protest was held in front of the Sanandaj governor's office against the arrests. The International Campaign for Human Rights also reported that citizens were arrested in the cities of Kamyaran, Ravansar, Javanrud, Marivan, Saqez, Boukan, Baneh, Sardasht, Piranshahr, and Mahabad, but there is no precise information about their numbers. Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported that around 30 people were arrested in Saqez, Javanrud, and Kamyaran, with some of them, including 10 detainees from Javanrud, still imprisoned. The Kurdpa website also reported the arrest of three individuals in the cities of Shahin Dezh and Oshnavieh in West Azerbaijan. Following the independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, people in several western cities of Iran gathered in support of this action on Monday and early Tuesday of last week. In this context, Alireza Radfar, the political, security, and social deputy of the West Azerbaijan governor, stated that no permits were issued for gatherings in any part of West Azerbaijan regarding the results of the Kurdistan Region referendum. However, the state-run IRIB news agency reported on Tuesday, the 4th of Mehr, that the 'supportive gathering' of the people in the Kurdistan province of Iran was to 'congratulate their compatriots' in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The report stated that people in several cities 'held a calm and uncontroversial gathering to congratulate their compatriots in Kurdistan, Iraq' on the referendum. The Islamic Republic officials have strongly opposed the independence referendum of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and the Iranian Road and Transportation Organization issued a directive stating that 'given recent developments in the region,' any loading of petroleum products from or to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is prohibited. Meanwhile, Masoud Jazayeri, spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic, announced on Saturday that Iran and Iraq are set to hold joint military exercises in the border areas of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in the coming days. Concurrently with the holding of this referendum, the Iranian Army and the IRGC also conducted two separate military exercises in western Iran. The holding of this referendum has elicited mixed reactions among Iranian politicians and civil activists. Some representatives from Iranian Kurdish regions, including Mohammad Qasim Osmani, the representative of Boukan, opposed this referendum. In contrast, a group of lawyers in Iran issued a statement deeming the holding of the independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as a 'fundamental right and in accordance with international law,' emphasizing that 'the country of Kurdistan' would not have 'detrimental effects' for Iran. Signatories of this statement include Saleh Nikbakht, Masoud Shams Nejad, Behrouz Nalbandi, Mohammad Javad Zarei, Mohammad Akbari, and Ismail Rahimi. Besides government and military officials, 210 representatives of the Iranian parliament have also strongly criticized the independence referendum of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. However, Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of the parliament, cautioned officials against being 'overly sensitive' to this referendum, stating that 'the issue is ethnic, and the Kurds support the referendum.' Mr. Motahari emphasized that 'currently, the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq should be educated, and the Kurds within the country should also be convinced that the independence of the Kurdistan Region will not be in their favor.'