MESOP MIDEAST WATCH  – Kurdistan’s Weekly Brief May 2, 2023  / CONTRA REZA PAHLAVI

A weekly brief of events occurred in the Kurdistan regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Four Kurdish Dissidents did not elaborate on the reasons for their departure, but it appears their defection was spurred by dissatisfaction with Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s supremacy in the coalition and his support from exiled ultranationalist Iranians. 

Iran

More than a dozen trade unions released a statement expressing support for ongoing strikes in various Iranian industries to protest low wages, inflation, and poor living conditions. Iranian authorities warned unions, especially those in Iranian Kurdistan, to refrain from holding any protests on International Workers’ Day, which occurs every May 1. The regime also pressured the Islamic Consultative Assembly to dismiss Iranian Minister of Industry, Mines, and Trade Reza Fatemi Amin. Furthermore, Iran’s exiled Kurdish opposition parties released a statement supporting labor rights and detailing issues workers face in Iran. The parties blamed the current regime and the Shah for Iranian Kurdistan’s lack of “infrastructure and industrial projects,” which contributes to its sky-high unemployment rates and status as Iran’s poorest region. Meanwhile, poison gas attacks targeted five girls’ schools in Senna, Kermanshah, and Tehran. Separately, a criminal court in Bokan sentenced two Kurdish men to two years in prison for “cooperation” with a Kurdish party. Lastly, a Kurdish political prisoner named Melad Zahrawand is facing execution in Malayer after he was arrested for participating in anti-government protests last November.

Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan leader Abdullah Mohtadi left the Iranian opposition coalition known as the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy.

Three other members, Shirin Ebadi, Nazanin Boniadi, and Masih Alinejad, also announced their departure. Mohtadi, Ebadi, Boniadi, and Alinejad then released a joint statement that read, “Although the situation has made it difficult to continue our solidarity, we will continue our unity as a means of future efforts. Mahsa’s charter came from the heart of the revolution of women, life, and freedom, and it will not lose its meaning until its victory.” The four did not elaborate on the reasons for their departure, but it appears their defection was spurred by dissatisfaction with Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s supremacy in the coalition and his support from exiled ultranationalist Iranians.

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