Category Archives: Iran

Iran: Shaheed’s UN reports and a few dark spots on rights to education

By Jamal Ekhtiar: The United Nations rights bodies carelessly mishandle the issues of social and cultural rights, education and students problems with their ‘selfish uproar’ rhetoric, but their long history of so-called human rights safeguarding in Iran has produced no tangible results. The UN rights system seems to respect and advocate rights to safety and…

Shaheed’s UN reports; realization and violations of socioeconomic rights in Iran

By Jamal Ekhtiar: United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, focuses on some minor socioeconomic issues, while overlooking more vital concerns affecting the lives of millions in the country. One area he often covers in his reports is gender inequality and limitations placed on women’s employment. He also refers…

All Iranian Kurdish Militias Withdraw From Peshmerga Frontlines in Iraq, Except YRK

KT Special Report: The regional Iraqi Kurdish authorities have called on all the small Iranian Kurdish parties’ militias to withdraw from the peshmerga frontlines, reportedly at Tehran’s request. However, an Iranian Kurd volunteer-based united front militia, the YRK, has indirectly refused to obey the order. and is still fighting alongside the peshmergas against Islamic State (IS) terrorists….

Shaheed and the need for a deeper look into rights to information in Iran

By Jamal Ekhtiar: Freedom of expression and the safety of journalists captures special attention in the reports of United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed; these are mutually important and, along with this, rights to information for citizens is another vital issue. The Special Rapporteur is generally concerned about freedom for…

Iran: Shaheed’s UN fact-finding mission versus repeating bygone flaws

By Jamal Ekhtiar: The human rights situation in Iran will be considered by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council during a series of meetings in September, but the UN’s old fashioned human rights rhetoric on Iran has not been fruitful so far. The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights…

Helen Ghassemlou’s reminiscences of her life with Abdul Rahman

By Sissy Danninger: German version newly available – Survey of other translations The project took three years, but at the beginning of August 2014 the German translation of Helen’s/Nasrin’s memoirs was finally published by LIT Verlag inVienna/Austria. Unfortunately the book could not be printed in time before the 25th anniversary of Dr Ghassemlou’s assassination on July…

Ghassemlou the Feminist?

By Zakarya Khezeryan: Heralded as the ‘prophet of peace and freedom,’ Adbul Rahman Ghassemlou (A.R.G) was a man of words, action and wisdom far beyond his years. His message, persona and name resonate with every peace and freedom-loving individual that has come to know him. Many know of Ghassemlou the man, the leader, but very…

Iran: 35 years of success against democracy, human rights and peace in the Middle East and world

Rebwar Reshid

By Rebwar Rashed: President Carter spent New Year’s Eve in 1977 with the Shah and toasted Iran as “an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world”. Less than two years later came the so-called Iranian Revolution. Iran was not as stable as the Carter administration thought. On 4th November,…

PUK must speak up for an independent Kurdistan in the South

By Mufid Abdulla: It has long been a complaint of those campaigning for an independent Kurdish state in the south of Kurdistan that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leaders are reluctant to speak out publicly in favour of Independence and indeed, privately, some PUK leaders say this is because they don’t want the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)…

Amnesty: 4 Kurds on Iran death row go on hunger strike

By Amnesty International: :Four Sunni men from Iran’s Kurdish minority have again been on hunger strike since 13 June in fear of their imminent execution. They have reportedly been subjected to mock executions at Ghezal Hesar Prison, where they were transferred on 14 June. Jamshid Dehghani, his younger brother Jahangir Dehghani, Hamed Ahmadi and Kamal…

The Islamic Republic of Iran and its language War against the Kurdistan Regional Government

By Dr Amir Sharifi: Until recently the Islamic Republic pretended that it was getting along with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and not intervening in the affairs of the KRG. Rudaw recently reported that the KRG Department of Foreign Affairs had summoned the Iranian acting Consular in Arbil to protest and condemn a condescending statement that…

We are human, you are not

Evin Cheikosman

By Evin Cheikosman: As many of us are already aware, on May 11th the Iranian consulate released an absurd statement about Iran’s perspective regarding the history of Iranian-Kurdish relations. It came as a shock for many Kurds who, without question, regard themselves as a legitimate people with a long, rich history. In the statement, Kurds…

Iran ‘to build oil and gas pipelines soon’ to south Kurdistan

KT News: Iran will soon construct a natural gas pipeline and crude oil pipeline to south Kurdistan, says Anadolu Agency quoting Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials. The first pipeline will carry crude oil from the Kurdistan Region to Iran, and Iran will refine and send back the oil. The natural gas pipeline will carry Iranian gas…

Dr. Mohajarani discusses the rise and the challenges of Iran “as a new power in the region”

Kurdistan Tribune Report: “Iran’s Shia strategy in the region to control the Shia crescent is a creation of AIPAC”, said Dr. Ata’ollah Mohajerani who believes that Mr. Rouhani’s government has a number of obstacles and difficulties to face among which is Iran’s dual political structure in which state and government are two different institutions as…

KT news briefing, 21st March 2014

prison bars

Kurdish prisoners on hunger strike in Iran In a recent decision by an Iranian court, three young Kurdish political activists were sentenced to 40, 15 and 10 years in prison. The prisoners have been kept in solitary confinement since arrested. Prison sources have confirmed that the three prisoners have been on hunger strike since Sunday…