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Kurdish blogger, lawyer arrested by
Iranian regime
31.1.2009
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January
31, 2009
Mahabad,
Iranian Kurdistan (Eastern Kurdistan),— Iran's
security forces in the city of Mahabad have arrested
Mr. Ali Rourast, his son and sister in the past
week. On Sunday January 25th 2009 security forces
arrived at Mr. Rourasts’ store and after searching
the store arrested him and took him to the detention
centre for the Ministry of Intelligence in the city
of Mahabad. Hours later security forces searched Mr.
Rourasts’ home while he was still detained,www.ekurd.net
the Parezeran web site
reported.
Two days after Mr. Rourasts’ arrest his son Mr.
Fayegh Rourast and his sister Ms. Hajar Rourast were
also arrested.
Mr. Fayegh Rourast is a freshman in the Orumiyeh
University majoring in Law. Ms. Hajar Rourast is a
teacher, a social activist and also works with an
orphanage in the city of Mahabad.
It must be noted that these three individuals do not
have a history of political activism. It is unclear
why they were arrested and there is no information
about the charges they may be facing.
The website also reports that Mr. Omid Valizadeh, a
blogger who operated a blog about current news was
arrested on Monday January 26th 2009.
Mr. Valizadeh,www.ekurd.net
the write or the
“Javanroud News” blog and also a political activist
in the city of Javanroud was arrested on Monday
night by security forces and is still in custody.
It is stated that one of the reasons for his arrest
was posting critism about a government
representative in the city of Javanroud.
Mr. Valizadehs’ family has no information about his
current whereabouts.
Human Rights Watch
published a new report in 2009 detailing the repression of Iran's
Kurdish population by the Iranian government in Iranian Kurdistan (Eastern
Kurdistan). In this report, the Human Rights Watch strongly criticizes Iranian
government for violating human rights and freedom of expression in Kurdistan.
Kurds make up approximately 7 percent of the population and live mainly in the
northwest regions of the country.
In a report released in July 2008, the human rights
organisation, Amnesty International
expressed concern
about the increased repression of Kurdish Iranians,
particularly human rights defenders.
The report cited examples of religious and cultural
discrimination against the estimated 12 million
Kurds who live in Iran.
“We urge the Iranian authorities to take concrete
measures to end any discrimination and associated
human rights violations that Kurds, indeed all
minorities in Iran, face,” Amnesty said in its
report.
“Kurds and all other members of minority communities
in Iran, men, women and children, are entitled to
enjoy their full range of human rights.”
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
parezeran wordpress.com | Agencies
Iranian Kurdistan
**
Iranian Kurdistan (Kurdish: Kurdistana Îranę or
Kurdistana Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan) or Rojhilatę
Kurdistan (East of Kurdistan)) is an unofficial name
for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has
borders with Iraq and Turkey. It includes the
greater parts of West Azerbaijan province, Kurdistan
Province, Kermanshah Province, and Ilam Province.
Kurds form the majority of the population of this
region with an estimated population of 12 million.
The region is the eastern part of the greater
cultural-geographical area called Kurdistan.
More about Iranian Kurdistan
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