Human rights coalition raises concerns over relocation of Iranian Kurdish political refugees

SULAYMANIYAH — A coalition of human rights organizations has voiced concerns over the relocation of political refugees from the village of Zrgwez to the Surdash camp in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, urging protection for those affected.

On Thursday, under increasing pressure from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kurdish Iranian opposition parties were forced to evacuate their strongholds in Sulaymaniyah and relocate to a controlled camp in the governorate. The relocation process is ongoing.

The coalition, consisting of the Kurds World Organization, Hangaw Organization for Human Rights, Hana Human Rights Organization, Kurdistan Tribune, the Kurdistan Human Rights Correspondents Network, and the Zagros Human Rights Center, expressed alarm over the forced relocation.

“As organizations, we have deep concerns about the precarious and dangerous situation of political refugees and members of Kurdish parties opposed to the Iranian government, who have recently been forcibly relocated from their place of residence in Zrgwez near Sulaymaniyah to a camp in the Surdash area,” Hadi Rasoolzadeh, spokesperson for the Hana Human Rights Organization, told 964media.

The organizations argue that this relocation, which follows a security agreement between Iraq and Iran, “raises serious concerns about the protection of their fundamental rights as civilians and political refugees.”

The security agreement, signed on March 19, 2023, aims to prevent Iranian Kurdish groups from launching operations from Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. An Iraqi security official involved in the treaty said Iraq had committed not to allow its territory in the Kurdish region to be used for cross-border attacks into Iran. As part of the agreement’s implementation, Iraq’s central government deployed military personnel to patrol the border between the Kurdistan Region and Iran. The groups were required to evacuate their positions along the Iran-Iraq border by Sept. 19, 2023.

The coalition presented three demands to the governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. The first is to ensure the safety and well-being of all relocated civilians, particularly women and children, emphasizing that “their fundamental rights must be protected in the new camp.”

The second demand calls for the protection of political refugees and activists. The organizations insist that members of Kurdish parties opposed to the Iranian government and their families be recognized as political refugees and protected from any threats to their safety, calling for international protection. They urged authorities to respect their status and ensure they are not endangered by existing security agreements.

The third demand stresses the need for responsible treatment by the Kurdistan Region’s security forces. The coalition urged all relevant parties, particularly the region’s security agencies, to handle the refugees with respect for their dignity and human rights.

Rasoolzadeh emphasized that the organizations would continue to support civilians and political refugees and remain vigilant about the situation at the Surdash camp, maintaining communication with international organizations.

Three opposition factions—the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan, and Komala Kurdistan’s Organization of the Communist Party of Iran—had established bases in three neighboring villages near Sulaymaniyah: Zrgwez, Zrgwezalla, and Banagawra. These villages housed the party members and their families before the relocation.