Kurdistan
Pervez Khan border crossing relations and media office announced, that the crossing’s officials met with Iranian senior officials to deliver their worry to Tehran about an incident involving ten Iranians attacking a Kurdish driver using knives.
Supreme justices of Qasre Shirin and officials from the Islamic republic confirmed that they would not allow the reoccurrence of such acts and would secure the border crossing.
A delegation from Pervez Khan border crossing has told the Islamic republic that “Kurdish drivers disapprove of laborers’ attitudes on the Iranian side of the border and expressed their consternation at the threats, beatings, and humiliation from Iranian workers.”
the delegation has asked Iran to “ control the border and investigate people who commit such acts and disturb the peace and security and cause problems to the people at the border.”
The KDP controls the security forces of the Erbil and Dohuk provinces of the Kurdistan region. The party enjoys strong relations with Turkey, putting it on bad terms with the PKK.
On April 21, three of seven border couriers from Javanrud and Kameran were shot by Iranian security forces. The rest broke their limbs or were severely wounded attempting to escape the shooting in Nawsud, reported Hengaw organization for Human Rights.
The report mentioned that two other couriers were also injured, trying to escape fire from security forces.
The report mentioned that two other couriers were also injured, trying to escape fire from security forces.
Due to the United States sanctions on Iran, many Kurds from Iran financially depend on smuggling on the Iran-Iraq border. An overwhelming majority of them work as border couriers. Couriers risk their lives every day as they walk on a tight rope by climbing rocky mountains dotted with border guard outposts. Border guards consider the business illegal and fire on anyone courier they come across.
Turkish aggression in Kurdistan region is illegitimate and against international norms, HDP’s representative in Erbil told a group of reporters.
On Saturday, Hikmet Atas, representative People’s Democratic Party (HDP) in Erbil, told Iraqi reporters that Turkish assaults on the Kurdistan region had caused not only material but also human casualties in villages in attacked areas.
"Turkish military operations in Iraqi Kurdistan are illegitimate and violate international norms. The attacks would cause Turkey, political and economic coasts in the future," he added.
The warplanes have caused fear and anxiety among inhabitants of the region, and the attacks have caused significant damage to the environment.
He noted, “five Iranian provinces border Iraq, and Kermanshah leads in exports which stands at 53% percent with its non-oil products standing at 43%.”
The first Kurdish paper focused on raising national and ethnic awareness among the Kurds. Baderkhan called for a Kurdish revolution through education and public awareness on the cover page of the first issue.
The paper was published in Cairo because it was a relatively free region, and the Ottoman authority in Egypt had eroded. The Baderkhan family continued to publish Kurdistan until 1902.
Kurdistan was not published on a scheduled timeline but rather on various dates. Few issues of the paper were published in Switzerland.
Kurdistan was a private paper, probably one of the first private papers in the Middle East and the broader world. It was funded by the Baderkhan family, an aristocratic Kurdish family who were exiled and separated by the Ottoman Empire after an unsuccessful uprising attempt.
Kurdish papers proliferated after the liberation of Iraq in 2003. As the first autonomous Kurdish polity, Kurdistan Region has helped in the appearance of hundreds of newspapers and media outlets that maintain their independence and impartial coverage.
“Before selling natural gas, Kurdistan region needs to get organized, because this affair [exporting gas to Europe] cannot be executed with a personal visit to a foreign country, referring to Kurdistan region PM’s visit to the UK. Natural gas may not be exported, unless political parties of Kurdistan region, and Iraqi government agree to it, because it cannot be done by a unilateral decision of a single part,” explained Abbas Fatah.
He also noted, “there are various issues of transparent governance. Many oil deals were made in the shadows. Natural gas contracts shall be transparent and its revenue for the people.”
Regarding the Kurdistan region’s returns, he said, “I believe that if the region’s revenue is collected transparently, it will end salary cuts and lack of services in the Kurdistan region.
A significant number of activists and journalists charged with organizing protests were detained on January 27, 2019. Many have been held in prison without a legal trial ever since.
The leaders underlined the strength of their relationship, acknowledging the U.K.’s deep ties with the Kurdish people. They noted the significant opportunities for greater partnerships across trade and investment.
The U.K. is home to many Kurds from the Kurdistan region who maintain close ties with relatives back in the Kurdistan region.
Acknowledging the continuing challenges to regional security, the Prime Minister voiced his enduring commitment to Iraqi stability and the counter-Daesh operations across the Middle East.
Masrour Barzani stressed his region’s willingness to export Kurdish gas to supply European households with energy and help lessen E.U. reliance on Russian energy.
We will work to provide employment opportunities, especially in agriculture and financial services, Barzani tweeted.
Barzani’s visit to the U.K. was not welcomed by the Kurds of the Kurdistan region and the Kurdish diaspora in the U.K., “We don’t energy to warm our homes or cook at home and now he [Masrour Barzani] wants to power Europe with Kurdistan region gas!” an activist spoke to Kurdsat English.
Kurdistan region would first need to acquire Baghdad’s acceptance before it can export its energy. Since 2014 Baghdad has asked the Kurdistan region to return its energy revenues to the central government, which has become the main issue in the Baghdad-Erbil disputes.
In February, the Iraqi supreme ruled the Kurdistan region’s independent oil and gas management unconstitutional. The Iraqi ministry of oil said it would carry out the decision by forming a company to manage the region’s energy sector.
Prime minister of the Kurdistan region, Masrour Barzani, visited the U.K. to discuss energy export to the E.U. and Europe as a possible replacement for Russian energy.
The U.K. holds a substantial Kurdish population from the Kurdistan region, and they gathered to protest Barzani's rule. The Barzanis lead the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and maintain a tight grip on the security forces of Duhok and Erbil governorates of the Kurdistan region.
One activist with a hand speaker was shouting "freedom to Sherwan Sherwani," referring to a KDP-imprisoned journalist sentenced to six years by the criminal court of Erbil.
Egging of the prime minister went viral on social media. Photos of Barzani were photoshopped with egg trays and posted on social media as memes.
Masrour Barzani is considered the de-facto leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the largest party in the Kurdistan region. He and his party are usually blamed for everything wrong with the Kurdistan region.
Despite the Iraqi government's objection and the summoning of his Turkish ambassador yesterday, the Turkish president reiterated, today, Wednesday, the continuation of military operations in both Iraq and Syria.
In a speech to the parliamentary bloc of the Justice and Development Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that his country had no ambitions in the lands of other countries.
He claimed that Turkey seeks to "establish stability" in its neighbouring countries and protect its territories.
These statements came after the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad, Ali Reza Konai, to hand him a strongly worded protest note after the continuous violations of Iraqi sovereignty and the launch of a military operation in the north of the country.
The ministry announced that it had summoned Ambassador Ali Reza Konai against the background of the continuous violations of the Turkish army, including the recent large-scale military operation that affected the areas of Matina, Zab, Avashin, and Bassian in the north of the country.
It also added that he was handed a strongly worded protest note, calling for the cessation of such provocative acts and the unacceptable transgressions.
The Turkish defence ministry announced that it had begun the operation coordinated with allies. At the same time, the Iraqi ministry of foreign affairs renewed her demand to withdraw all Turkish forces from Iraqi territory. It explained that Iraq has the legal right to take the necessary and appropriate measures per the provisions of the United Nations Charter and international law regarding such hostile and unilateral acts.
Turkey announced, on Monday, the launch of a new air and ground attack against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq, in which special forces and combat marches are participating.
Classified as a "terrorist" organization by Ankara and its Western allies, the PKK has led an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
Ankara usually launches attacks in Iraq, where the PKK has bases in the Sinjar region and the Kurdistan region's mountainous regions. Strong condemnations from the Iraqi government usually follow the attacks, yet relations between both countries remain strong.
Since August 2020, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), security forces and legal persecutors have detained more than 81 journalists, activists, and school teachers.
These arrests have caused domestic and severe international condemnation. Many countries have declared the arrests as an attempt to silence freedom of speech and freedom of the press and have called it a violation of human rights.
"After more than a year of detaining, parole, and torture, 8 of the 81 arrested are sentenced from 6 years to 7 years. Thirteen journalists have been sentenced from 6 months to 3 years. They have been warned from participating in any political gathering or opposition," a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) on conditions of anonymity told Kurdsat News.
The CPT member added, "after one and half years, five activists in Shiladzeh have gone on hunger strike for ignoring their legal cases.
"On November 2021, 26 activists were released without the court's decision, and many activist are held in the various prisons and their cases are still missing," The source added.
An investigation from the CPT has revealed that the arrests are politically encouraged. The KDP punishes anyone criticizing its governance and publicize its corruption. The activists refuse the indictments they have been charged with because the accusations rely on the testimony of someone who was not present in any court hearings.
"To assess the condition of our environment, we need all the five factors influencing the environment. not only in Sulaimani but all over Iraq. We lack data regarding the environment. We now have good air quality, but it is deteriorating fast." Dear Gharib, director of Sulaimani environment agency, told Kurdsat News's morning show.
The primary environmental pollutants are; agriculture, industry, energy, and transportation.
Climate change has severe effects on Iraq, explained Dear Ghareeb. According to the Iraqi environment minister, climate change has turned Iraq into the hottest part of the world. As a result, four of 10 regions in danger of desertification lie in Iraq.
The Kurdistan region has also suffered from climate change. Two consecutive years of drought in the Garmian region of Kurdistan have had the region's authorities ask for emergency funds.
"They were tortured during their detention," the reports said.
Inhabitants in the area told the PKK-affiliated media that the 12 villagers were gone to collect herbs, but the Turkish military barred them.
The witnesses added that some of them ran away as the Turkish army opened fire on them. Some horses were killed in the random shooting.
The incident comes after Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday in Istanbul's Dolmabahce.
Turkey has taken its decades-old conflict with the PKK deep into the Kurdistan Region, establishing more than 50 military outposts.
The Turkish military has also conducted numerous ground and cross-border aerial offensives into neighboring northern Iraq to "remove" PKK fighters, which maintain bases in the Qandil mountain that borders Iraq, Iran, and Turkey.