The statement of Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch regarding Pouria Ghasemi, a member of the PJAK group whose death has recently been reported, is as follows:
Child Soldier Who Disappeared: A Cry for Justice in the Case of Pouria Ghasemi
Four Years of Silence, One Piece of News, and Thousands of Unanswered Questions
Pouria Ghasemi, a teenager from Sanandaj who joined the ranks of the armed group PJAK under the alias “Dalil Makouyan,” has now, according to claims by media affiliated with the group, died during an aerial bombardment by the Turkish army in the Qandil Mountains on December 7, 2021. However, the news of his death has suddenly been released after four years, without any independent documentation, without providing details, without the presence of his family, and without the possibility of verification. What makes this case even more painful is not only the probable death of a teenager, but also the way the PJAK group has treated Pouria’s life and death; as if a human being, with an identity, with a family, with the right to life, was merely a propaganda tool whose death is announced four years later, at a time when no trace of the truth remains. No one knows the reason for PJAK’s inhumane actions. What was the real cause of Pouria’s death?
Clear Examples of Violations of Human Rights and International Law
At the time of joining PJAK, Pouria Ghasemi was at most 15 years old. This fact is clear and beyond doubt, based on images and information published by the group itself. The recruitment, military training, and use of individuals under the age of 18 in armed conflict is a clear violation of the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (2000). According to this international document, governments and non-state armed groups are obliged to refrain from any use of children in military conflict. From the perspective of international law, this behavior constitutes a war crime.
But the matter does not end here. For four years, PJAK kept Pouria’s family and public opinion in the dark and in anxiety. No news, no phone calls, no confirmation of life or death. This situation precisely fits the definition of “enforced disappearance” under international law, a practice that, according to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (2006), is considered a gross violation of human rights and human dignity and entails international criminal responsibility.
Silence That Brings Complicity
In these years, PJAK not only prevented the family from accessing the truth, but also, through the deliberate delay in announcing the death, effectively blocked the path of independent investigation. This is a procedure that has been followed regarding many other Kurdish teenagers and has become a recurring pattern.
On the other hand, PJAK’s representative in international forums, Omar Hejabri (Agri Shahou), who resides in Sweden, had repeatedly pledged to human rights organizations that the group no longer uses children in its ranks. This commitment has now been broken before the eyes of the world. Now is the time for accountability.
Our Demands Are Clear:
- The United Nations, UNICEF, and human rights organizations must immediately put the case of Pouria Ghasemi and other disappeared teenagers on their agenda and initiate an independent investigation.
- The Swedish government is obliged to be accountable for the role of Omar Hejabri and his violations of human rights commitments, and the path for legal prosecution must be provided.
- The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq must put an end to the free activity of groups that take children to war and create the conditions for their accountability.
- Human rights organizations can no longer remain silent in the face of gross violations of children’s rights and enforced disappearances; silence means complicity.
Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch is prepared to provide all documents, information, and evidence related to this case and dozens of similar cases to independent and reputable international organizations.
Justice, even after years, must prevail.
Let us not forget, Pouria was a child, not a soldier.
