IHRDC Releases In-Depth Report on Persecution of Kurdish Activists in Iran Today
11 April 2012
(New Haven, USA) — Today, the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC) released a 70-page report, “On the Margins: Arrest, Imprisonment and Execution of Kurdish Activists in Iran Today,” which details the Islamic Republic of Iran’s on-going campaign of repression against the Kurdish community in Iran. The report is based on direct testimony from more than 50 witnesses including former Kurdish political prisoners, and the cell mates, lawyers, family and close friends and associates of Kurdish political prisoners who have been executed or are currently on death row.
In March 2012, the execution of Kurdish activists in Iran was elevated to an issue of international concern by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as detailed in a report presented at the 19th regular session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. As of this publication, an estimated 14 Kurdish political prisoners are on death row in Iran and at risk of imminent execution.
“A government’s treatment of its minority communities serves as a bellwether in assessing the overall human rights record of any government,” said Gissou Nia, the Executive Director of IHRDC. “The Islamic Republic of Iran and its treatment of the country’s Kurdish minority is no exception. Today, Kurdish activists are targeted for arrest, and sentenced to imprisonment and even execution on thin evidentiary grounds. The government’s treatment violates protections embodied in both international and Iranian law. Iranians and the international community should continue to monitor this behavior very closely.”
“On the Margins: Arrest, Imprisonment and Executions of Kurds in Iran Today” features previously unreleased testimonies and documents from Kurdish political prisoners, including those currently on death row. The report can be read here.
The report is the second in a series of reports about the Islamic Republic of Iran’s violations of the human rights of the Kurdish minority in Iran. Persian and Kurdish language translations of the report will be released in upcoming weeks. The full testimonies of the witnesses interviewed for this report will be published in a special IHRDC release next month.
For further information, please contact:
Gissou Nia
Executive Director
Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
Email: GNia@iranhrdc.org
Phone: (203) 654-9342
