Strike in Kurdish Regions of Iran in Protest Against Executions of Kurdish Youth

Media and Kurdish activists on social media report a "nationwide strike" in some Kurdish areas of Iran in protest against the execution of three Kurdish political prisoners and a missile attack on the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In addition to Kurdish activists, the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, and the Workers' Komala Party of Kurdistan, along with the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, launched a campaign titled "We Stay Home," urging citizens in Kurdish regions to refrain from going out on Wednesday, September 21. This request was made after three Kurdish political prisoners, Zanyar Moradi, Luqman Moradi, and Ramin Hossein Panahi, were executed on the previous Saturday. The Moradi brothers were sentenced to death for "moharebeh" (waging war against God) and the murder of the son of the Friday prayer leader of Marivan, while Ramin Hossein Panahi was sentenced for membership in the "Komala Party" and "baghi" or armed rebellion against the Islamic government. Their executions occurred despite human rights activists rejecting the charges against them and calling for a review of their sentences. Meanwhile, the IRGC's missile attack on the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the city of Koy Sanjaq, Iraq, on the same day left at least 14 dead and 30 injured. In response to these events, a call for a general strike in Kurdish regions of Iran was made, and on Wednesday, social media users and Kurdish activists published images of closed markets in the cities of Marivan, Sanandaj, Paveh, Oshnavieh, and Mahabad. Additionally, videos surfaced on social media showing shops supporting the strike being marked with spray paint by unknown individuals, reportedly to identify them for potential future action. Radio Farda is not independently able to verify these reports. Kurdish regions in Iran have previously engaged in protests, including strikes against the execution of Farzad Kamangar, a political prisoner and teacher in Kamyaran. The IRGC has not only claimed responsibility for the attack on the headquarters of Kurdish opposition parties in Iraqi Kurdistan but has also threatened to repeat such actions. While Iraq has described this action as a "violation of sovereignty," Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated that "the recent missile response to destabilizing actions by a terrorist group in the Kurdistan region of Iraq is a stance that will be applied in response to any threat." Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, also stated on Tuesday that "the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government should not allow bases against Iran to be established; they are criminals and must either hand over their remnants to us or expel them from their country." He added, "If these destabilizing events continue, what happened to their commanders will happen again, and the Iranian people reserve the right to defend themselves." The Islamic Republic of Iran accuses Kurdish armed groups of "separatism" and "connections with foreigners," while these groups accuse the Islamic Republic of violating the rights of Kurds in Iran, claiming their goal is to pursue Kurdish rights. In recent years, the IRGC has bombarded areas of Iraqi Kurdistan under the pretext of the presence of opposition forces and their operations. Despite repeated protests from the regional government, the bombardment of the region by Iran has not ceased. Since 2016, after Kurdish armed opposition parties reported their military forces operating "on a wider scale" in "most areas" of Iranian Kurdistan, clashes between these parties and the IRGC have increased.