LARA GEWHERİ

Mahabad - Since the beginning of the “Jina Mahsa Amini” revolution, thousands of people have been arrested or have been subjected to many forms of violence for participating in strikes, protests and demonstrations.

The people of Rojhilat Kurdistan have been subjected to detention, arrest, inhuman practices and many forms of violence since September 16, 2022, when Jina Mahsa Amini was killed in custody.

NuJINHA spoke to some protesters, who were arrested and subjected to torture in custody or during nationwide protests.

Dylan participated in the protests in the city of Bukan with her mother. Speaking about what she witnessed during a protest, she said, “We ran away along with the crowd after hearing sounds of the gunshots and we took shelter in a house. People were all running away. I saw five agents taking a girl covered in blood from behind a window. One of the agents grabbed her by her hair and dragged her on the ground, while another agent shouted and cursed her.”

Maziar, a teenager from Ashnoye town of Rojhilat Kurdistan, was arrested during one of the demonstrations. “On a bloody day in the street, security forces attacked us. While we were running, twelve security forces members trapped me along with my friends on a street. They beat and kicked us brutally, with the intention of killing us. They were so harsh as if we were their enemies.”

Maziar was taken to the detention center after being beaten by security forces. Speaking about what she had subjected to in the detention, she said, “When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on the ground in a detention center with a bloody body and broken teeth. One of the officers told me ‘Do you have hundreds of lives? How do you survive from torture you were subjected to?’ I was under eighteen years old and I was released after being held in the detention center for a few days. I went to the doctor and the doctor told me that I had three broken fingers in my right hand, and my left foot was broken. I could hardly move and I could not do anything for several days.”

Sima is a 34-year-old. She was arrested the day that Samko Moloudi was killed by Iranian security forces during a protest in Mahabad. She told us what she had been subjected to in custody as follows: “I participated in a protest with some of my friends, and suddenly security forces attacked us. We fled to another street. We fell into the hands of the security forces on that street. When a green-eyed security officer opened fire on me while I was just screaming out of fear. After I was lying on the ground, one of the officers said, ‘Leave her, she’s dead.’ Some protesters came and helped me. Security forces left wounded people there. After the protest, I was taken to a doctor and the doctor removed 230 bullets from my body. There are still wounds on my body. Some bullets are still in my body.”

Iran’s security forces raided the home of Delare. Talking about that day, Delare said, “One day when I was out, my mother called me. She was crying and told me to hide. ‘Security forces raided our house to arrest you and your sister. The security officers said your daughters are anti-revolutionary and you should go to the police station.’ My sister Delanya is 14 years old, she was at school at that time. I went to her school and we went to Kurdistan Region through the border of Sardasht. Now we are refugees there.”

Laleh was arrested during a protest for not wearing a headscarf. She said, “There were many protesters and we were running towards the streets. Three security officers arrested me and forcibly took me in a van. In the van. They forced me to wear a headscarf on my head and asked for my phone password. I resisted. One of the women grabbed my hair and hit my head against the glass, I was covered in blood. Female security officers have no mercy.”