The “Week in brief” by Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) is a weekly review of the most important human rights news and developments from and about Iran’s Kurdish areas.
Detained Kurds remain missing after deadly clashes in Iran’s Chaldoran
Kurdish civilians detained after deadly clashes between an outlawed Kurdish party and Iranian forces have remained missing, local reliable sources have said..
Clashes broke out between an armed Kurdish party and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on 25 October at a border checkpoint in the Chaldoran area.
At least eight people were killed and 10 Kurds arrested following the clashes.
KHRN has obtained names and other information about eight of the 10 detained people.
Families of the detained have appealed to the Iranian authorities but were told nothing on fate of the detained or where they are being imprisoned.
Various sources have disputed the official government line on the armed clashes allegedly between an outlawed Kurdish armed organisation and the IRGC in October, saying the event was highly controversial.
Kurdish tradesperson, wife killed in Iran police chase
Kurdish tradesperson Atta Mohammad Zadeh and his wife Soghra Timouri were killed in a car accident while Iranian police chased their car on suspicion of having carried illegal items.
The police hunt of the car took place on the main road between Divandareh and Bijar areas.
Zadeh attempted to run away and turned back to drive on the wrong way facing incoming traffic and causing the deadly accident, sources said.
The Iranian police found some boxes of Seattleite TV receivers in the car.
Most Kolbars (porters) and tradespersons in Iran’s Kurdish border areas take up the job of delivering such items from neighbouring Iraq’s Kurdish areas because they have no other option due to the high unemployment rate and lack of other job opportunities.
Read more: http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/en/a-tradesman-and-his-wife-killed-in-a-police-chase/
Kurdish political prisoner on hunger strike at Iran’s Qazwin prison
Kurdish political prisoner Seyyed Semi Hosseini has gone on hunger strike at Qazwin Central Prison to protest against the prison authorities preventing him from contacting his family, reliable sources told KHRN.
He has been on hunger strike since 26 November, the sources said.
They said the prison authorities have allowed all the prisoners to contact their families through the prison’s new communication regulations but they did not grant Hosseini the same right.
Hosseini was arrested in 2008 and was sentenced to death on several charges, the main one being “cooperation” with the outlawed Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK).
His death penalty was later commuted to life in prison before a final re-trial issued him with a 10-year prison sentence.
