Request for the Extradition of Kurdish Opposition Leaders and Members from Iraq

Iran's judiciary has submitted a list to the Iraqi government, requesting the extradition of approximately 120 leaders and members of Kurdish opposition parties based in the Kurdistan region. Kazem Gharibabadi, the Deputy for International Affairs of Iran's judiciary, announced this at a judicial council meeting in Alborz province last week (July 13), describing those on the list as 'terrorists' and adding that 'their trial will be held soon.' Radio Farda has discussed this issue and reactions to it with some political figures in the Kurdistan region. Continued pressure on Kurdish parties Reza Kabi, Secretary-General of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, told Radio Farda: 'This pressure and the request that the Islamic Republic has made from Iraqi officials is part of the pressures and war policies being applied against the Kurdish parties and people.' Officials in the Kurdistan region of Iraq have refrained from commenting on this matter in response to Radio Farda's inquiries. Many offices and headquarters of Iranian Kurdish opposition parties are based in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Last year, based on a security agreement between Iran and Iraq, many of the headquarters of Kurdish opposition parties were evacuated from this region. Previously, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had stated that in the signed agreement between Tehran and Baghdad, Iraq committed to disarm the opposition Kurdish groups based in the Kurdistan region, close their bases, and relocate them to other camps before September 19, 2023. Samy Rikani, an independent political activist residing in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, commented on the pressures on Iranian Kurdish parties, saying: 'The Islamic Republic's pressure on Baghdad and the Kurdistan region to expel or surrender the leaders of the Iranian Kurdish opposition is part of a strategic agreement between Iran and Turkey that was concluded in 2016 and continues to this day. Especially after the independence referendum of the Kurdistan region of Iraq in 2017, Iran and Turkey concluded that they must address the issue of confronting Kurdish groups, independent of the influences of major powers like the U.S. and Russia, as they believe that not pursuing this path could impact their internal situations.' The autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq held an independence referendum on September 25, 2017, despite opposition from the central Iraqi government, Iran, Turkey, and even the U.S. According to the Kurdistan election commission, 92 percent of the 3.3 million people who participated in the referendum voted in favor of independence from Iraq. Following the referendum, Iraqi military forces moved towards the Kurdistan region, taking control of disputed areas such as Kirkuk from the Peshmerga forces. After this military confrontation, the Iraqi Kurds suspended the controversial independence referendum and proposed a ceasefire and dialogue with Baghdad. The Kurdistan regional government stated that it is 'committed to responsible behavior to prevent further violence and conflict.' So far, the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan regional government have not reacted to the request made by the Iranian judiciary. Hossein Yazdanpanah, Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), told Radio Farda: 'We must see whether the Iraqi government will record such a disgrace in its history by accepting the Islamic Republic's request. However, officials in the Kurdistan region have repeatedly stated that there are no Kurdish terrorist organizations or groups present in the region. Therefore, I doubt that the Kurdistan region will engage in such an inhumane and undesirable deal with the Islamic Republic.' In recent years, pressures on Kurdish opposition parties based in the Kurdistan region of Iraq have not been limited to political pressures but have also included missile, drone, and artillery attacks on their headquarters. The most extensive missile attack was in 2018 when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the Koy Sanjaq area, killing 15 members of the party's leadership and Peshmerga forces. Approximately two years ago, the IRGC again targeted the positions of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan and Komala in Sulaymaniyah and Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq with missile and drone attacks. Reza Kabi, Secretary-General of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, stated that these attacks target the 'freedom-seeking movement of the Kurdish people.' He told Radio Farda: 'It is true that the Islamic Republic is focusing its pressure on Kurdish parties, and it is true that it targets the camps of these parties with missiles, drones, and long-range weapons, but in reality, the Islamic Republic is targeting the freedom-seeking movement of the Kurdish people.' Iraqi officials and officials in the Kurdistan region have stated that they will not allow Iraq to become a base for targeting its neighbors. Hossein Yazdanpanah, Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), also emphasizes that their activities are purely political. He told Radio Farda: 'We operate within the special conditions of the Kurdistan region, and our activities are only political in nature, and we do not carry out any actions against the Islamic Republic from the Kurdistan region.' In recent days, Turkey has also increased its military actions and operations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to confront 'Kurdish groups opposing its government.'