Kurdish civil and political activists have called for the release of detainees in Kurdistan.
Observers from the Kurdistan Human Rights Defense Organization;
150 Kurdish political, civil, and human rights activists have described the Nowruz celebration as a festival of unity and solidarity, demanding the release of those detained for holding this national holiday.
The text of the Kurdish activists' statement is as follows:
🔸 The Nowruz celebration is a holiday of unity and solidarity, and those detained during this national festival must be released.
Nowruz is a symbol and emblem of renewal, and a manifestation of unity and solidarity. Coexistence, tolerance, peace, and reconciliation are reflected in Nowruz, which is the commemoration of an ancient and primordial tradition where human values, respect for nature, and human rights are among the instances of this thousands-year-old holiday. This year's Nowruz was held in a very different and more widespread atmosphere in Kurdistan and other regions of the country. Amidst this celebration of renewal and rebirth, some of the founders and organizers of this national ritual were detained.
🔸 We believe that this ancient festival has no relation or affinity with hatred and violence, and is a herald of reconciliation, affection, and respect for lofty human values. Certain narrow-mindedness and arbitrary personal practices should not turn the taste of this celebration bitter. It is expected that the individuals arrested during this blessed celebration will be released and the families of the detainees will be relieved of their anxiety.
I have come like the new holiday to break the lock of the prison,
And to shatter the claws and teeth of this man-devouring wheel.
🔸 Signatories:
Mohammad Sedigh Kaboudvand, Ashraf Sadegh Vaziri, Esmail Moftizadeh, Siavash Hayati, Mohsen Razavi, Ejlal Ghavami, Aziz Sanjabi, Raoof Karimi, Kaveh Ahangaran, Hamidreza Samodi, Ghafoor Soleimani, Mohsen Shafiei, Abbas Heydrianzadeh, Noushin Mohammadi, Ali Valaei, Mohsen Kaviani, Shahram Safari, Pejman Habibi, Alireza Babaei, Ramin Salehi, Sabah Hasani Shiani, Heydar Ahmadi, Kamal Jahan-Namaei, Tayeb Zanganeh, Mehran Sanjabi, Jalal Khodamoradi, Shaho Ardalan, Ahmad Naseri, Bahram Vaziri, Sharif Saedi, Jebraeil Esmaeili, Ehsan Nikpey, Danial Alavi, Galaleh Mazharpour, Sharmin Hedayati, Moustoureh Lameei, Touran Banafsheh, Sharafah Hosseini, Laleh Ahmadi, Rozhin Panahi, Bagher Peiri, Omid Mostafapour, Behrouz Zarei, Hamed Tahaei, Saleh Karimi, Eghbal Bayazidi, Namegh Safaei, Shoaib Hatami, Nader Abdolmohammadi, Bahram Yarahmadi, Roozbeh Ekradi, Hadi Rahimi, Reza Saedi, Mahmoud Banafsheh, Hiwa Jahani, Kourosh Saadpanah, Khosrow Zaremanesh, Hayedeh Soufi, Faraj Rostami, Sheida Ghahramani, Zhila Fakour, Abdollah Kamangar, Marzieh Kamangar, Danesh Shariati, Bakhtiyar Hashemi, Homayoun Asadi, Jamal Asadi, Sohrab Alijani, Badri Zanganeh, Damon Zanganeh, Mohammad Javaheri, Aram Zandi, Himen Vakili, Mansour Gharibi, Ardeshir Bahramian, Esmail Rezaei, Ali Homayouni, Naser Zendedel, Kamran Khodajoui, Minoo Shahi, Jamileh Rashidi, Farkhondeh Talebi, Sina Gohari, Khabat Manbari, Faegh Ghasemi, Leila Najmoddini, Zahed Ghiasi, Amir Kakaei, Darioush Rahimzadeh, Houshyar Danaei, Taregh Abtahi, Amjal Hamili, Mehdi Alaei, Nader Ghasemi, Voria Salahian Sanandaji, Hekmat Naderi, Saber Niknafs, Yadollah Asadi, Hamid Taheri, Rahmat Ardalan, Abdollah Khayyati, Siroos Nemati, Hassan Karimi, Abdolreza Mousavi, Rasoul Amini, Rashed Ebrahimi, Anvar Ayoubi, Masoud Vatankhah, Khalil Mobaraki, Ezzat Karimi, Layeq Faramarzi, Farzad Jafari, Hadi Nowruzi, Farshad Amjadian, Hossein Sardari, Hassan Sardari, Sedigh Haghgou, Hamid Abtahi, Khosrow Danaei, Farhad Khoshsima, Fereydoun Panahi, Habibollah Mazharpour, Vali Abdoli, Abdollah Bastami, Heybat Jalali, Chia Kardovani, Kaveh Fakhari, Morteza Javanmard, Latif Rastin, Ata Helali, Farideh Akbari, Nasrin Vaziri, Fahimeh Khodri, Behnoush Sadeghi, Khaled Pirveysi, Mousy Ezzati Amini, Khalil Rashidi, Amir Jalovizani, Mahmoud Safari, Mansour Dadashpour, Asghar Fedaii, Houshang Mohajer, Keyvan Niazi, Shouresh Ranjbar, Toufagh Babamiri, Arsalan Mohammadi, Vahid Tavakoli, Zahed Khazdouzi, Karim Toulaei, Fathollah Naghibi, Jamal Bakhi, Vafa Namdari, Rahim Bafafa