Protests and Strikes by Market Traders in Kurdistan

The newspaper Jahan San'at dedicated a photo to the "protests and strikes by market traders in Kurdistan" following the "killing of kolbars" and wrote: "Baneh, Sardasht, Marivan, and Saqez were scenes of unrest yesterday in protest against the killing of two kolbars by border guards." According to this newspaper, "reports from Baneh indicate that the atmosphere in the city has become much more tense since Sunday (the day the two kolbars were killed) and protests have intensified. Windows and doors of the governor's office were broken by demonstrators, and people were throwing stones at law enforcement forces. Officers responded with tear gas and warning shots. They also entered the governor's office and removed demonstrators who had infiltrated the building." The newspaper stated: "Protesters at this non-political, occupational gathering demanded an end to the shooting of kolbars, and another demand was the dismissal of the Baneh governor. Protesters believe that the Baneh governor has failed to stop the shooting of kolbars," and "demonstrators chanted slogans emphasizing that they would continue this situation until the governor is dismissed." Jahan San'at criticized the government's negligence in addressing the situation of kolbars, stating: "Poor living conditions, unemployment, and the increase in excessive imports of foreign goods are fundamental problems currently facing the country that must be addressed with fundamental solutions; otherwise, the worsening economic situation will become more complex, and not only will we witness discouraging statistics, but such incidents will also increase. Therefore, it is expected that with serious follow-up by officials, such incidents will not occur in the country again, and no Iranian should be forced to work as a kolbar to secure their livelihood." The newspaper Sharq also reported on its front page the promise of the prosecutor of Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province, to "pursue the killing of kolbars in Baneh," quoting Akbar Jouhari: "Two kolbars were shot at while trying to smuggle goods into the country, resulting in their deaths. The smuggled goods were explosives, and a judicial case has been opened in the judicial organization, investigations are ongoing, and the suspects have been identified and arrested." This newspaper noted that in the border region of Baneh, two kolbars named "Haidar Faraji" and "Mama Qader" lost their lives due to an "unnatural incident," stating: "Since Tuesday, the families of these two kolbars, along with a group of local people, gathered in front of the Baneh governor's office, demanding that as suitable employment opportunities in border areas are limited and young people are forced to turn to kolbari, the safety of kolbars must be ensured." Sharq also quoted Mohsen Biglari, the representative of Saqez and Baneh in the tenth parliament, stating: "In recent days, another kolbar from Sardasht named Abdulwahid Nalasi was injured while crossing the border due to an unnatural incident. The prevention of these kolbars from crossing the Sardasht border occurred while these individuals had permission to pass through the 'Koneh-Bafr' checkpoint; nevertheless, they were prevented from crossing the border. During this incident, a 23-year-old girl named 'Suzan Biorani' was also injured." The representative of Saqez and Baneh emphasized the "poor economic and living conditions of kolbars," stating: "The reality is that even if these individuals are carrying goods, it does not justify their deaths." The newspaper Hamdeli dedicated a photo to images of Iranian women behind the gates of Azadi Stadium and Syrian women who were allowed to enter the stadium, stating: "Iranian women last night watched the passage of Syrian women behind the gates of Azadi." According to this newspaper, during the final match of the preliminary round of the World Cup in Russia, which was held on Tuesday afternoon between the Iranian national football team and Syria at Azadi Stadium in Tehran, "while Syrian women, wearing similar hijabs to Iranian women and holding children, were moving around the seats, Iranian women were squinting their eyes and straining their ears to hear the male cheers that are the loudest sound in their country; women's voices do not reach anywhere" because "this is Iran, and two teams from two Muslim countries have women and girls with hijabs; however, one is behind the concrete walls leading to striped barriers, and the other has long been inside." Hamdeli emphasized that "no one knows what inappropriate act Iranian women will commit if they manage to get in," stating: "Iranian women collect petitions and sign letters behind closed doors; they have done so before; the result has been requests from officials who will undoubtedly oppose them." The newspaper Bahar also highlighted the "host behind the door, guest inside the stadium," calling the prohibition of Iranian women from entering and the presence of Syrian women in Azadi Stadium to watch the match between Iran and Syria an "Iranian paradox." This newspaper wrote: "The prohibition of Iranian women from attending the celebration of their national team was evident. Iranian women, who have long been forming virtual campaigns, including one titled 'Dedicate the Stadium to Girls on Tuesday' and garnering support from cultural and sports figures, including members of the men's and women's national football teams, have formed a protest atmosphere against the absence of women in sports stadiums; this time, they remained behind the stadium gates while Syrian women were even present in the stadium without any hijab in some cases." The newspaper Etemad, in a report titled "Syrian Women in the Stadium, Iranian Women Behind Azadi," quoted Parvaneh Salahshouri, head of the Women’s Faction in the tenth parliament, stating: "The Ministry of Sports informed me and some other female members of parliament that a permit had been issued for our presence in Azadi Stadium to watch the football match between Iran and Syria; however, just as I did not accept selective attendance in the stadium during volleyball matches, I announced that I oppose this approach to women's presence in the stadium," because "when the girls of this country have to reach the stadium dressed as boys and face a thousand problems, I, as a representative of these people, do not want to attend the stadium with a special permit, and I personally do not approve of this approach by the Ministry of Sports regarding women's presence in stadiums." This newspaper simultaneously published a note referring to the statements of the spokesman for the Guardian Council regarding the "religious prohibition of women" from the presidency, emphasizing that "from the perspective of the fundamental rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially its most prominent legal and binding text, namely the Constitution, women have no prohibition on holding high-ranking political positions. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as the highest document approved by the ruling nation, does not explicitly provide for any prohibition on women holding political, judicial, executive, and legislative positions." Ali Akbar Gorji, a law professor at Tehran University, wrote in this note: "The Constitution even avoids specifying prohibitions regarding leadership, the presidency of the judiciary, the presidency of the legislative branch, and the presidency of the executive branch. This lack of specification regarding the prohibition of women holding high-ranking positions certainly has a specific wisdom, which is nothing but to allow future generations and the Islamic Republic to have a more effective presence of women in governance." Abbas Ali Kadkhodai, spokesman for the Guardian Council, recently stated: "This is a jurisprudential theory that a woman cannot have a religious concept of authority, and some say that the presidency and ministry, as part of that authority, means a woman cannot be a minister or president." The newspaper Etemad, in addition to criticizing the spokesman's statements from a legal and jurisprudential perspective, wrote: "The Islamic Republic is currently facing various challenges, including in the economic, political, cultural, social, and international spheres, and raising such views, which result in further discouraging society, especially women, is not compatible with any logic, wisdom, or political expediency." The newspaper Iran, close to the government, on its front page quoted Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, stating: "The issue of house arrest must be resolved." According to this newspaper, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, on Tuesday in response to the question, "Given the recent statements by the spokesman of the judiciary, some media suggest that the president also agrees with the continuation of house arrest," said, "It is true that the president is the head of the Supreme National Security Council, but the position of this presidency is different from that of the head of the cabinet. In the Supreme National Security Council, in addition to government members, military commanders and heads of other branches are also present, so this position is different from that of the head of the government." He added, "Everyone is aware of the president's firm position regarding house arrest, and I also take pride in the president's strong positions that have been articulated with reasoning and consideration of all aspects of national interests." The government spokesman regarding how to lift the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard stated: "Resolving this issue also requires consensus-building and moderating the opinions of other members (of the Supreme National Security Council) because, in addition to government members, the Supreme National Security Council has other members." The newspaper Iran quoted the government spokesman as saying: "I was present at the recent meeting of the Supreme National Security Council and am fully aware of the details of the president's clear, transparent, and courageous positions," and "the president had clear positions on this issue, but since these matters are security-related, I ask the secretary of the council to inform as deemed appropriate." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, however, focused on the statements of the spokesman of the Supreme National Security Council regarding "house arrest" and quoted Keyvan Khosravi as saying that "no new decision has been made regarding house arrest" and "the decision regarding house arrest was made based on security considerations in 2009 by the Supreme National Security Council, and this council will decide on its continuation or change." This newspaper reported that Keyvan Khosravi emphasized that "the issue of house arrest was not on the agenda of the recent Supreme National Security Council meeting, and in the context of informing about the openings created in the situation of the house-arrested individuals, no new decision has been made regarding the original issue of house arrest." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, described the demand for "lifting house arrest" as a public demand arising from "the decisions of the extremist factions of the reformist movement" and wrote: "Rohani's approach after the elections has been silence and management of house arrest, so they have decided to turn the lifting of house arrest into a public demand by launching virtual campaigns and contacting some clerics and scholars."