East Kurdistan National Center: 'Iran Is Taking Revenge For Its Defeats By Israel By Repressing The Kurdish People'
On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, three Kurdish Kolbars (border porters, or those who carry goods across the Iran-Iraq border) – Idris Ali, Azad Shojaei, and Rasoul Ahmad Mohammad – were executed by the Iranian regime.
Below is statement and urgent appeal to the international community by the East Kurdistan National Center:[1]
"These Executions Appear To Be Politically Motivated Acts Of Scapegoating"
"Following the 12-day war between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel and the announcement of a ceasefire, the Iranian regime – having suffered major strategic and security failures – has turned to retaliate against the Kurdish people instead of addressing the real causes of its defeat.
"On the afternoon of June 24, 2025, immediately after the ceasefire, more than 150 individuals in the city of Kermanshah were arrested and imprisoned by Iranian security forces. Subsequently, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, three Kurdish border porters (Kolbars)[2] – Idris Ali, Azad Shojaei, and Rasoul Ahmad Mohammad – were executed on charges of assisting in the transfer of equipment and weapons allegedly used in the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top figure in Iran's nuclear program.
"These allegations are baseless and contradict earlier official statements. In December 2020, Mahmoud Alavi, then Minister of Intelligence under President Hassan Rouhani, publicly admitted that Iran's security services had failed to track down the perpetrators of Fakhrizadeh's assassination.
"These executions appear to be politically motivated acts of scapegoating, intended to divert attention from the regime's recent military and intelligence failures. We are gravely concerned that the Islamic Republic – emboldened by its survival after Israeli attacks – may repeat the horrors of 1988, when, following Ayatollah Khomeini's acceptance of the ceasefire in the Iran-Iraq War, thousands of political prisoners were executed in mass killings. This time, accusations of espionage and collaboration with Israel may serve as the pretext for another wave of mass executions and widespread repression, particularly targeting the Kurdish population.
"Condemning The Islamic Republic's Policy Of Collective Punishment Against The Kurdish People
"During the nationwide Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising that followed the killing of Jina (Mahsa) Amini in 2022, over 56% of those killed and persecuted were from East Kurdistan (Iranian Kurdistan), even though Kurds constitute only about 14% of Iran's total population. This stark disparity reveals the Islamic Republic's entrenched system of apartheid and structural oppression against the people of Kurdistan – a policy that continues to this day with increasing intensity.
"We urgently call upon the United Nations, international human rights organizations, and states with influence over Iran to:
"-Condemn the Islamic Republic's policy of collective punishment against the Kurdish people.
"-Demand the immediate release of all recently detained individuals in Kurdistan.
"-Prevent the use of politically motivated executions under false charges of espionage or terrorism.
"-Launch urgent and independent international investigations into the treatment of detainees and the violation of nationalities and minority rights in Iran.
"-Hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for any crimes against humanity or grave violations of international human rights law.
"Silence in the face of this injustice will pave the way for another catastrophe. The defenseless Kurdish people must not become the victims of a regime's military and political failures. Preventing another massacre is a shared responsibility of all those who stand for human rights and dignity.
"East Kurdistan National Center (NNRK)
"Date: June 25, 2025"
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