“Security forces, the counter-terrorism force, known as the Black Force, have been deployed near our headquarters. We were forced to begin relocating our headquarters and families,” Amjad Hussein Panahi, a member of Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan (Zahmatkeshan), told Rudaw.
The other two parties relocating are Komala of Revolutionary Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan (Shorshger) and Komala Kurdistan's Organization of the Communist Party of Iran (CPI). All three are offshoots or splinter factions of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
Iraq is cracking down on the Iranian Kurdish opposition parties at the request of Tehran. Earlier in May, Iranian media reported that Iraq’s National Security Council formally banned all political, media, and social activities of the opposition parties operating within its borders, including in the Kurdistan Region.
"We are evacuating some of the headquarters and houses, meaning we are not completely evacuating this place now, because the designated location cannot accommodate all the Komala groups,” Panahi said.
Panahi said that moving locations will not change the party’s activities.
“It's true that we have started our relocation, but our relocation is normal. Our struggle is in Eastern Kurdistan [Rojhelat], and wherever we are here, it's normal and not an abandonment of the struggle,” he said.
The parties were originally asked to evacuate their headquarters in Zrgwez, Bana Gawra, and Zrgwezala by May 1, but the deadline was extended to the 10th after Komala said they needed more time.
Tehran has accused Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region - namely the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), Komala, Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) - of fueling Iran’s nationwide protest movement in 2022 and inciting unrest. The groups, struggling for greater rights for Iran’s marginalized Kurdish population, have fought an on-and-off war with the Islamic Republic for decades.
In 2023, Iraq and Iran signed a security pact that saw Baghdad agree to disarm the opposition groups and secure the border regions. Iran had threatened to use military action if Baghdad failed to fulfill the agreement. Under that agreement, the Kurdish opposition groups were largely moved to the city of Koya in southeastern Erbil province.
Iranian Consul General to Erbil Faramarz Asadi told Rudaw in February that parts of the security agreement have been implemented, while “others are proceeding slowly.”
Soran Hussein contributed to this report.
