ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran has arrested at least 41 Kurdish citizens, including six minors, in connection with Newroz celebrations and has reportedly threatened thousands more in an effort to prevent the Kurdish New Year festivities in the country’s western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat), a human rights watchdog reported Monday.
“In recent days, thousands of Kurdish citizens have been summoned and interrogated by security institutions, and at least 41 people, including 6 children, have been arrested,” the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization said on Monday.
The arrests were carried out in the cities of Urmia, Oshnavieh (Shno), Sardasht, Saqqez, Marivan, Sanandaj, Piranshahr, and Kermanshah.
“The security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are trying to prevent the event every year by creating an atmosphere of terror, summoning, threatening and detention of Kurdish citizens,” Hengaw added.
On Sunday, Iranian authorities said they arrested seven Kurdish individuals accused of participating in “anti-regime propaganda activities” under the guise of Newroz celebrations in Kurdistan Province, west of the country.
Newroz, which marks the first day of spring, is widely celebrated by Kurds in western Iran.
However, Iranian authorities have frequently clamped down on Kurdish celebrations during Newroz, banning some Kurdish symbols and songs, and prohibiting certain types of Kurdish attire, namely the Jamaneh and Khaki.
The Jamaneh and khaki are traditional Kurdish outfits often worn by Kurdish groups that oppose the Iranian establishment. They are widely seen as symbols of resistance among Kurds, many of whom share images of themselves wearing them on social media as an act of dissent.
Iran additionally prohibits the Kurdish folk dance, known as Halparke, which is performed by mixed groups of men and women who dance holding hands, a custom not welcomed by Iran’s political and religious authorities.
Last week, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deployed to Kurdish-majority regions and set up temporary checkpoints to interrogate people, according to the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network.
Meanwhile, Hengaw reported clashes between those celebrating Newroz and Iranian security forces in Kurdish-majority regions.
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