Harsh treatment by officers during arrest of environmental activists in Kurdistan

The process of arresting civil and environmental activists continues in various cities in Kurdistan. According to reports, the number of activists arrested has reached 9 so far. Reports indicate violent encounters during the arrest of these individuals.

Following the arrest of environmental activists in the cities of Kamyaran and Sanandaj, Amanj Ghorbani, an employee of the Environmental Department and a well-known environmental activist in Kamyaran, was also arrested at her workplace on Sunday, January 6.

According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network website, with the arrest of Amanj Ghorbani and Bakhtiar Kamangar, another environmental activist, the number of people arrested in Kamyaran last week has increased to nine.

Farhad Mohammadi, Fazel Gheitasi, Reza Asadi, and Hadi Kamangar are secretaries and members of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party who were arrested on January 1 and 2, 2018.

Rashed Montazeri, Isa Faizi, and Hossein Kamangar are also members of the Kurdistan National Unity Party and are among those arrested.

Most of the arrested individuals were active in the environmental field. Hossein Kamangar has previously been arrested twice for political activities.

Other pressures on environmental activists include the summoning and short-term interrogation of six other media and environmental activists and their interrogation in Mahabad, and the sealing of the office of an environmental association in Bukan.

Violence by security officers

Kaveh Kermanshahi, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Human Rights Network and resident in Berlin, told Deutsche Welle's Persian service on Monday, January 7, about the reason and manner of the arrest of environmental activists in Kurdistan, saying that the pressure on environmental activists in the province began last week.

He says: "The latest example of these arrests was the arrest of Bakhtiar Kamangar on Sunday, January 6. Two days before that, Mr. Amanj Ghorbani, a senior environmental expert and well-known environmental activist in Kurdistan, was arrested at his workplace, which is the Kamyaran Environmental Department. This was Mr. Ghorbani's first day of work after his wedding ceremony."

Kaveh Kermanshahi says about the use of violent methods when arresting environmental activists and pulling bags over the heads of the detainees: "A number of these people have been arrested at their workplaces in front of their colleagues with physical and verbal violence and beatings. Even cloth bags have been used to arrest these people. This means that at the workplace, these activists have been transferred to security forces' vehicles by pulling bags over their faces."

It is said that the detainees have not been able to contact their families so far. After their arrest, these individuals were transferred from Kamyaran to Sanandaj prison.

According to the spokesperson for the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, given the type of arrest of these individuals, it is likely that security charges will be brought against them and that they will be put under pressure while in detention.

A number of those recently arrested in Kurdish cities are environmental activists and some members of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party. Among these individuals is Farhad Mohammadi, a lawyer and secretary of the party.

The National Unity Party began its work in Sanandaj in April 2016 with the official permission of the Ministry of Interior. The party's offices have also been opened in various cities in the Kurdistan Province, including Kamyaran and Marivan.

Part of the Iranian National Unity Party's manifesto states: "In this era of transition from a traditional society to a modern society, we, a group of children of this land, decided to fulfill part of our national mission by forming a civil institution called the Iranian National Unity Party - to entrust this precious heritage to achieve a vibrant, dynamic, and prosperous society that responds to the material and spiritual demands of our compatriots."

So far, educational classes on environmental issues have been held by the Environmental Committee of the Kurdistan branch of the National Unity Party in various cities in Kurdistan.

Securing the environment

Environmental activists have been arrested and harassed in various cities in Kurdistan before. In some cases, these activists have been accused of “acting against national security” due to media coverage of environmental incidents in the region.

Kaveh Kermanshahi says in this regard: "The environmental issue in Kurdistan Province has become a security issue because in many cases, there are bitter environmental incidents that occur in the mountains, pastures, or forests. For example, there have been several fires that occurred due to the presence of military and security forces to confront Kurdish parties that, according to the security forces, are present in these areas and that is why the officers enter into war against them. The occurrence of these types of conflicts causes environmental chaos or fires. Mr. Amanj Ghorbani, as an environmental employee, was one of those who personally attended to control the fires. This environmental activity of environmental activists is not approved by the security officers."

Considering the recent arrests of environmental activists and the severe physical and verbal violence used during their arrest, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network has expressed concern about the conditions of detention and treatment of these activists in the Sanandaj detention center and the possibility of security charges being filed and cases being filed against them.

Source: DW