According to information received by the Hana Organization for Human Rights, in the run up to September 16 and the anniversary of the beginning of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, pressure by security institutions on civil activists has increased in a number of cities and villages in Kurdistan. Security contacts, telephone summonses, and threats against activists have been reported, alongside an increased presence of security forces and a palpable military and security atmosphere in certain areas.
Hana’s sources say that a number of activists have, in recent days, been contacted on account of posting content on social media, their civil activities, or their history of participation in the protests of 2022. Some of them had previously been detained as well. In certain instances, agents have explicitly instructed these individuals to refrain, in the days leading up to the anniversary, from posting content, attending gatherings, or engaging in any public activity, and have threatened them with “severe punishment.”
These pressures are being applied at a time when the society of Kurdistan is simultaneously grappling with the consequences of wartime conditions, a sharp rise in the cost of living, and an unprecedented collapse in the value of the national currency. In this climate, the increased presence of armed forces, checkpoints, and the security screening of citizens has made the atmosphere in certain cities of Kurdistan more militarized and security dominated than ever.
What is now being reported to Hana is not merely a response to some specific act that has already taken place. A significant part of these pressures is preventive in nature, directed at individuals whom security institutions consider likely to engage in civil activity, post protest related content, or attend gatherings around the anniversary of Zhina Amini’s death. The use of telephone contact and informal summonses likewise makes it possible for security pressure to be applied without the issuance of a formal summons and outside any transparent judicial process.
The convergence of the economic crisis, wartime conditions, and the anniversary of one of the most significant protest movements of recent years has once again placed Kurdistan at the center of the security apparatus’s sensitivity and control. The transformation of civil activity, the posting of a piece of writing, or even the mere possibility of attending a peaceful gathering into a matter for security intervention reflects the continuation of a policy that, rather than recognizing the right to protest, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly, rests on the preemptive control of society and the restriction of public space.