Latest news with #Iranian-Kurdish
Rudaw Net
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Kurdish armed group blames Iran for deadly Sulaimani drone attack
Also in Iran Iran says agreed to a new round of nuclear talks with E3 Iran frees teen held for reciting Kurdish poetry, father still detained Iran expands crackdown on alleged spies, collaborators with Israel, US Trump says scheduled new nuclear talks with Iran A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eastern Kurdistan Units (YRK) on Sunday accused Iran of carrying out a deadly drone strike in eastern Sulaimani province's Penjwen district, killing one of its fighters. Local officials on Saturday said the drone was Turkish. Ankara has not commented on the incident. 'This attack was carried out by Iran against our forces,' read a statement from the YRK, the armed wing of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK). It said suicide 'suicide drone' killed a fighter identified as Simko Kobane. PJAK is an Iran-based armed group widely believed to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The latter group declared a unilateral ceasefire and on July 11 had a ceremonial disarmament where 30 fighters, including commanders, burned their weapons. On May 12, the PKK announced its dissolution and intention to disarm after being urged to do so by their founder, Abdullah Ocalan, who said it was time to take the struggle for Kurdish rights in Turkey into the political sphere. However, PJAK has said it would continue its armed struggle against Tehran despite PKK's decision to dissolve itself, saying Ocalan's decision does not include them. 'We, as the forces of Eastern Kurdistan [western Iran], will not remain defenseless against these types of attacks and will defend ourselves to the end within the framework of our legitimate rights. We do not attack anyone in any way, but we always defend ourselves,' the group added. PJAK operates from bases in the Kurdistan Region's Mount Qandil, where the PKK is also headquartered. The group has clashed with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and is banned in Iran. Several Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups, including PJAK, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), Komala, and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), have been relocated away from the Iran-Kurdistan Region border as part of a 2023 security agreement between Baghdad and Tehran. Iran has frequently targeted these groups with cross-border strikes, accusing them of inciting unrest inside its borders.
New Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
From Tehran to Delhi: Sina Fakhroddin on war, belonging, and the music that survives
'The story behind every music ensemble is always the music,' says Sina Fakhroddin. For Iranian-Kurdish composer and percussionist Fakhroddin, it's also a place for pulling different strings—from the sitar, sarangi, the jazz guitar, and centuries-old folk melodies—into a common harmony. Trained in Iranian classical music, Fakhroddin, also the founder of the city-based instrumental ensemble World Ethnic Music Ensemble (WEME), has a doctorate in Hindustani music. Though primarily a percussionist, Fakhroddin is also a sitarist and often composes on it. What began as a personal experiment composing melodies on his sitar became a collaborative project as he brought in fellow musician friends. 'One composition became two, then three,' he recalls, and soon, the ensemble, formed in 2009, began to take shape with an unconventional lineup including the harp, cello, and mandolin. Now set to perform at Delhi's OddBird Theatre on July 11, WEME's five-piece ensemble weaves together the textures of both Western and traditional instruments like sitar and harp; its sound sits at the intersection of Persian and Indian musical traditions, drawing from ragas, scales, and centuries-old textures, all anchored in Fakhroddin's original compositions.
Straits Times
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Iran's ‘paper tiger' leadership will fall, predicts Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi
Iranian lawyer and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi was speaking at an interview in London, where she has lived in self-imposed exile since 2009. PHOTO: REUTERS LONDON - Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi said on June 25 that Iran's war with Israel had revealed the weakness of its 'paper tiger' leadership, predicting that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would be toppled in a peaceful revolution. She spoke a day after a shaky ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump took hold between Iran and Israel, ending a short but intense air war in which Israeli strikes seemingly targeted Iran's senior leadership at will. 'The people of Iran and the world saw that and realised what a paper tiger this administration is,' Ms Ebadi told Reuters in an interview in London, where she has lived in self-imposed exile since 2009. Ms Ebadi, a lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her work defending human rights, has been a staunch critic of the Shi'ite Muslim clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since 1979. Security officials said Ayatollah Khamenei, 86, went into hiding during the conflict, which wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military leadership and killed its leading nuclear scientists. 'The people will not trust a leader who hides during times of war,' Ms Ebadi said. She said previous protests, such as those around the death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in 2022, had shown mass public support for change. 'I predict the people will succeed this time around and this regime will be gone.' There have been no signs of significant street protests against the Islamic Republic, with relief dominating the first response of many Iranians to the ceasefire. While Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, a relative moderate, has said the atmosphere of national solidarity during Israel's attacks would spur domestic reform, hardline security organs have also moved swiftly to demonstrate their control with mass arrests, executions and military deployments, officials and activists have said. 'The regime is trying to compensate for its defeat by arresting the people,' Ms Ebadi said. 'Because it fears that now that it has been defeated in this war, the people will find more courage and take to the streets.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Al Bawaba
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Pakhshan Azizi still faces execution, Iran rejects retrial
Published April 7th, 2025 - 11:22 GMT ALBAWABA - Iran's Supreme Court recently sparked outrage after rejecting a retrial for Pakhshan Azizi, an Iranian-Kurdish activist and social worker who is set to be executed on charges made in July last year, according to Al Hurra. This marks the second time that Iran's Supreme Court has rejected a retrial for Azizi. The renowned activist was arrested alongside her family on August 4, 2023, after she was accused by Tehran's Revolutionary Court, Branch 26, of "baghy (armed rebellion) through membership in armed opposition groups." They want to execute this brave woman! Please be her voice before it's too late! Pakhshan Azizi, a courageous social worker who fought against ISIS in Syria and helped the wounded, was arrested and imprisoned upon returning to Iran. The corrupt judicial system has sentenced her… — Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) April 6, 2025 After two weeks of Azizi's arrest, Iranian authorities released her family on bail but kept the Kurdish activist detained, denying her access to lawyers and family visits for several months. According to the UN, Reports by human rights experts also indicate that Azizi was subjected to "severe psychological and physical torture" during her confinement. One of Pakhshan Azizi's lawyers, Maziar Tataei, stated on Sunday that "The Supreme Court has rejected the request for a retrial without even requesting the case file, and the defense arguments presented by Pakhshan's lawyers have been dismissed as baseless." Rejecting the retrial twice makes Azizi more prone to execution, as concerns over her life flooded social media. Al Hurra reported that Iran's Supreme Court approved Azizi's death sentence, despite international calls from human rights organizations. A human rights expert said, "The charges against Ms. Pakhshan Azizi do not meet the threshold of 'most serious crimes' required by international law for the death penalty." They further added, "Her death sentence constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law." © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Express Tribune
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Iranian rapper details mock execution and escape to freedom
Listen to article Iranian-Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin thought he was being released from prison when guards ordered him to pack his belongings at 5 a.m. Instead, he was blindfolded, placed under a noose, and subjected to a mock execution. 'I was under that noose for about 15 minutes, I think,' Yasin told CNN in an exclusive interview. He recalled hearing a cleric reciting the Quran over him, urging him to repent 'so that you go to heaven.' Yasin, now in Berlin, spent two years in Iranian prisons for participating in the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests. He joined street demonstrations and recorded anti-regime songs following the death of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested for allegedly not complying with Iran's hijab law. The protests, met with severe government suppression, have led to over 500 deaths, including 49 women and 68 children, according to a United Nations report. CNN has not been able to independently verify the exact number of casualties due to Iran's lack of transparency. After enduring what he calls 'severe torture' aimed at forcing a false confession, Yasin made a perilous escape from Iran and now speaks out about his experiences. His testimony sheds light on the brutal tactics used by the Iranian regime to silence dissent.
