KDPI calls on UN to condemn recent killing of its members in Kurdistan Region

15-07-2023
Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) opposition group on Friday called on the international community, including the United Nations, to condemn the recent killing of the party’s members in the Kurdistan Region. The Kurdish party blamed Iran for the killings. 

The KDPI said in a statement that “three Kurdish political activists in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) were tragically murdered last week in two terrorist attacks allegedly carried out by a group of terrorists linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran.” 

“We call upon the United Nations, international institutions and human rights organisations to unequivocally condemn these terrorist acts committed by the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. At the same time, we call upon the federal government of Iraq and the government of the autonomous region of Kurdistan (KRI) to prevent the Islamic Republic from further violating Iraq’s national sovereignty and turning Iraqi soil into a breeding ground for its terrorist activities,” it said. 

Siyamand Shaboyi, 35, was found dead near the Jezhnikan camp near Erbil’s Baharka area. He was a member of the KDPI. He had gone missing before his dead body was found with a bullet wound in the back of his skull, a senior KDPI official told Rudaw at the time. 

KDPI described its member’s death as a “reprehensible act of terror,” introducing him as Samrand Shaboi instead. 

“The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan unequivocally condemns these acts of terror perpetrated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Furthermore, we emphasise our unwavering commitment to continue the struggle until the rights and freedom of the people of Kurdistan are realised,” said the Kurdish party. 

The KDPI is a Kurdish opposition party that has waged an on-and-off war against the Iranian government since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It has been based in the Kurdistan Region since the 1980’s and Iran frequently bombards areas where the KDPI is present, including using ballistic missiles in what it says are efforts to target the group. 
 
Tehran has threatened further military action if Baghdad and Erbil do not secure the border areas and disarm the several Kurdish opposition groups who have bases in the Kurdistan Region.

Iraqi and Kurdistan Region officials have repeatedly criticised the presence of exiled Kurdish opposition groups within their borders, saying they harm relations with neighbours.

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