Iran Kurds Stage New Protest As Unrest Continues

Baku Today:

Some 300 Kurdish activists gathered on Saturday at a sit-in outside the governor’s office in Iran’s western province of Kurdistan following two weeks of unrest that had brought several Kurdish towns and cities to a complete stand-still.

The activists gathered to protest against a government crackdown on demonstrations which were sparked by the brutal torture and killing of a young Kurd in the town of Mahabad, West Azerbaijan province, at the hands of Iran’s State Security Forces.

They condemned the crackdown on protesters in Mahabad, Oshnavieh, Sardasht, and other Kurdish towns.

Participants issued a joint statement during the sit-in in which they called for the release of those detained by police during the clashes and all political prisoners. They also demanded an inquiry to identify officials responsible for the crackdown that left several people dead.

At least three people, including a woman, were gunned down by police in the town of Oshnavieh.

Earlier this week, Rasoul Pourzaman, the Majlis deputy for Oshnavieh, said in the Iranian parliament, “The clashes in Oshnavieh are the continuation of a trend which some time ago started in Mahabad and has now reached Oshnavieh”.