Fearing backlash, Iranian Kurds wary of fully joining protests Submitted by Wladimir van Wilgenburg on Fri, 01/09/2026 - 14:16 Most Kurdish regions have largely stayed out of nationwide demonstrations, but Shia Kurdish towns have seen violent crackdown Shopkeepers and traders protest in the street against the economic conditions and Iran's embattled currency in Tehran on 29 December 2025 (AFP) Off As demonstrations driven by Iran’s deepening economic crisis sweep across the country, the Kurdish town that ignited the 2022 nationwide uprising has, for now, stayed quiet. Like Saqqez – the hometown of Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody in September 2022 sparked the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protest movement – many other Kurdish towns have so far not joined the protests, fearing a crackdown.  Meanwhile, Shia Kurdish majority areas in western provinces such as Ilam and Kermanshah have witnessed the most violent protests and repression lately, according to Kurdish-Iranian rights group Hengaw. A Kurdish opposition could play a crucial role in the protests, as Kurds are estimates to number between seven and 15 million in Iran, roughly 8 to 17 percent of the population, with most living in the northwest along the borders with Turkey and Iraq. "So far, we have not seen significant street protests in the northern Rojhelat Kurdish cities, such as Saqqez and Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan province," Kurdish journalist Kaveh Ghoreishi told Middle East Eye. "According to activists on the ground, this is due to the bloody crackdowns they suffered during the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ (Women, Life, Freedom) protests in 2022." The crackdown saw hundreds of people killed and wounded and thousands detained across Iran. Dozens of protesters face charges carrying the death penalty. "Additionally, following the Iran–Israel war (June 2025), many activists were arrested under the pretext of having links to Israel, leaving society with little capacity to endure further sacrifice," Zhila Mostajer, a board member of Hengaw, told MEE. Trifa Zarei, from the human rights organisation Hana, said many Kurds "felt the solidarity from other parts of Iran did not match the cost [they had endured]". "That experience has deepened long-standing grievances and a sense of historical distance, particularly in places like Sanandaj, Saqqez, Mahabad, Bukan, and Mariwan." Solidarity strikes  The recent protests began in the capital on 28 December with strikes over spiralling prices and a currency plunge to historic lows, and have since evolved into a broader expression of discontent with Iran’s political leadership. Demonstrations quickly spread across 111 cities, in 31 provinces, according to local reports. "The protests in Tehran and their demands differ significantly from those in this part of Kurdistan," Mostajer said. "Although harsh economic repression prevails in the region, the demands raised on the streets have consistently been political and radical in nature, calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran." Rising prices, rising anger: Inside Iran’s new wave of economic unrest » Mostajer added that Kurdish parties confined their involvement to urging strikes in solidarity with other Kurdish areas, including Ilam and Malekshahi. On 5 January, seven Kurdish political parties from the Dialogue Centre for Inter-Party Cooperation in Iranian Kurdistan called for a general strike on Thursday. More than 57 towns and cities across all four provinces of Iranian Kurdistan observed the strike, according to Arash Saleh, the Washington-based representative of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDK-I), citing local reports. "It has injected new momentum into protests across the country," Saleh, whose party backed the strike, told MEE. However, Ghoreishi noted that most towns refrained from holding protest gatherings after the strike. "This may be due to people’s hesitation to join protests planned in the capital in support of Reza Pahlavi," the journalist said. During the protests in many non-Kurdish cities, there have been calls for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah. "National minorities play a central role in mobilisation against the regime, and any attempt – whether by regional powers or foreign-based Persian-language media – to impose a single group as the face of the movement is deeply damaging," Saleh added. 'Uprising centres' Protests in Kermanshah, Ilam and Lorestan provinces have been more energetic than elsewhere in the western region, said Hussein Yazdanpana, the leader of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), whose members largely hail from those areas. "Other Kurdish regions had already expended a great deal of energy during the Jina uprising, and the brunt of repression fell on those areas," Yazdanpana added. "Most families experienced at most one death or one member imprisoned." Plunge in Iran's currency sparks strikes and protests: Press review » In the early days of the protests, US President Donald Trump vowed to intervene if demonstrators are killed. But with the death toll rising, he said on Thursday that some deaths resulted from stampedes – a claim disputed by Yazdanpana on X. Rights groups have already documented dozens of protester deaths over nearly two weeks, with estimated ranging from around 25 to 42, including minors. Thousands are reported to have been detained. Iranian state TV has broadcast clashes and fires, while the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several police officers were killed overnight. "What we expect from the United States is that the statement made by President Trump...should be acted upon in support of the people of Kermanshah, Ilam, Hamadan, Luristan, and Bakhtiari regions," Yazdanpana said. Four PAK fighters were reportedly killed in clashes with security forces in Malekshahi in the Ilam province on 7 January. "These areas are now centres of uprising, and we demand that they be declared no-fly zones," Yazdanpana added. Nevertheless, the protests could also spread to other Kurdish towns. “There is strong potential for the protests to continue and expand, both in Iranian Kurdistan and across the rest of Iran,” PDKI’s Saleh said. Inside Iran Erbil, Iraq News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0