Iranian Kurds celebrate Newroz in exile, fear

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – In the past 15 days, over 18,000 Iranians have travelled to the Kurdistan Region to celebrate Newroz, Raid Zara Hossein, a Haji Omran border official, told Kurdistan24.

Despite the financial crisis, the Region has received a remarkable number of visitors “because of the freedom in the Region and the safety that is guaranteed thanks to the Peshmerga and Asayesh [security] forces,” Hossein added.

The secular environment of the Kurdistan Region, in contrast with the religious rules of Iran, allows people to party without harassment and intimidations.

According to the border officials, the Iranian visitors come from different parts of Iran, including non-Kurdish provinces and the border will operate 24 hours a day to accommodate the large number of visitors.

Amateur footage on social media showed that in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhalat) people celebrated the ancient holiday of the equinox, Newroz, in a relatively free environment compared to the previous years. The videos show Kurds gathered around a bonfire, singing national songs in unison.

But Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported that many plain cloth government plants were among the people. Immediately after the celebrations were recorded on cell phones and uploaded on social media, the crackdown started.

“Because several thousand citizens had attended the celebrations, the government could not disturb the Newroz ceremony but after the event, the vehicles of the attendees who travelled from the village of ‘Ghasrian’ back to Sanandaj [Sina] were inspected, and several women were arrested,” KHRN reported.

Sara Milani and Ladan Sohrabi have so far been identified among the detained women. Their crime was dancing during the celebrations. 

The activists also said that some Iranian authorities insulted the Kurds who had worn their ethnic clothes. Officials reportedly attacked the protesters with batons and pepper sprays.

Over 140 people were also arrested in the Kurdish-dominated Kermanshah Province for “disturbing public safety,” Iranian securities reported.

Kurds have celebrated the first day of spring, March 21, as a symbol of resistance against oppression for centuries. Kurds in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and the diaspora lit bonfires as a symbol of the victory of light over darkness.

The tradition has roots in Zoroastrian customs, and several other ethnic groups such as Persians and Tajiks have similar celebrations. 

Reporting by Ava Homa

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Teifor Mohamad contributed to this report from Haji Omran)