Government Forces Attack 'Chia Green Association' Meeting; At Least 25 Environmental Activists Arrested

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported that government forces raided the annual meeting of the 'Chia Green Association' in Marivan on Sunday, September 10, arresting at least 25 members of the association. The Hengaw Human Rights Organization also confirmed the identification of 9 of the detained environmental activists from the 'Chia Green Association' in Marivan. Hengaw stated that Salar Azari, Kamal Konehposhi, Madah Sardosh, Abdollah Balvasi, Kaveh Karimian, Kaveh Dastan, Jamal Ghaderi, Hiwa Babaei, and Ali Enayat are among the members of this group and environmental activists arrested on Sunday evening. Kaveh Madani, director of the UN Water Research Institute, reacted to the arrest of the members of the environmental group 'Chia Green Association' in Marivan by publishing their efforts to combat the wildfires in the Zagros Mountains. Kaveh Madani wrote on his account on 'X': 'This reminds us of part of the services of this 25-year-old environmental NGO.' He also noted: 'Five years ago, in September 2018, Sharif Bajoor, a board member of the Chia Green Association, along with three other recognized environmental activists from Kurdistan, sacrificed their lives to save the Zagros forests.' The Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported on Friday, September 3, that Farzad Javid, an environmental activist and member of the Chia Green Association in Marivan, had been arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence forces since Tuesday, August 14, and there is still no information about his status. The 'Chia Green Association,' which operates with a registered license from the Marivan County Governorate, works in the fields of 'environmental protection, forests and pastures, community culture, and public participation,' and its members have played a significant role in extinguishing the recent wildfires in the Zagros forests. The report from the Chia Green Association states: 'We are still engaged in extinguishing the fires in the Marivan forests.' Hengaw: The status of Farzad Javid, an environmental activist, remains unclear after 11 days of detention. Unprecedented fires threaten the Marivan forests; the Revolutionary Guards are under suspicion. Five environmental activists were arrested in Marivan amid ongoing wildfires in Kurdistan. Protests occurred in Marivan following the deaths of four environmental activists in the forest fire.