In their monthly report on human rights violations in Iran’s Kurdish areas, the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) said that at least 28 people were detained in western Iran (Rojhelat) in March, 23 of which were detained for participating in festivities celebrating the New Year, which is also observed in Iran.
According to the report, a number of the people who were arrested were coerced into signing pledges by Iranian intelligence institutions in the days leading up to Newroz, which prohibited using Kurdish symbols and cheerful songs, as well as banning “halparke” (Kurdish folk dances) by mixed groups of men and women.
At least 19 people were handed prison sentences during the past month, “varying from three months in prison to the death penalty.” Kurdish political prisoners Firouz Mousalou and Hatam Ozdamir were sentenced to death in March after more than 32 months in detention.
The report also mentioned that at least 18 kolbars were injured during March, either due to various accidents or in shootings by Iranian border forces. Two kolbars also lost their lives: Rostam Khezri after being shot by border forces and Mohammad Omidvar from frostbite.
Kolbars are semi-legal porters who transport untaxed goods across the Kurdistan Region-Iran border and sometimes the Iran-Turkey border. They are constantly targeted by Iranian border guards and are sometimes also victims of natural disasters. Many are pushed into the profession by poverty and a lack of alternative employment, particularly in Iran's disenfranchised Kurdish provinces.
The statistics for March are higher than the numbers from February’s report by the same monitor, which saw 23 people detained, 6 people sentenced to prison, and 13 kolbars dead or injured.
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