Shahin’s experience is an example of the fate of many young people seeking work and income who might fall into the trap of false promises from armed groups.
People’s lives are shaped by numerous factors, leading them down unexpected paths. Today, young people, especially in economically struggling areas, are looking for opportunities to improve their lives. This search for a job and income can sometimes lead them to make dangerous choices.
The story of Shahin Soltani, a young man from Sahneh County, is a real-life example of this. With big dreams and under financial pressure, he was looking for a way to change his life. Along the way, he met someone who brought him into a new world of threats.
Shahin Soltani, born on March 15, 1995, in Sahneh County, completed his high school education. He was looking for a job under difficult financial circumstances. He reconnected on Instagram with an old friend named Shahab Ghazvineh, who had gone to the Kurdistan Region about five years earlier. Shahab claimed he was a crane operator in the region and had a good income. These promises made Shahin decide to go to the region for work.
On April 5, 2021, Shahin, accompanied by Shahab, went to the border of Sardasht County and was taken across the border by group forces. After arriving in the city, a white van with several armed individuals picked him up and took him to the “Pirdi” camp. Shahin says that until his phone and belongings were taken and he spoke with them, he had no idea of their true nature. After being threatened and assaulted by PAK group forces, he realized there was no turning back and he was forced to stay.
During his time in the group, he was forced to participate in mandatory political and military classes, and most of his work was guard duty and cooking. After about a year and a half, he decided to escape but was caught and tortured for a month while in handcuffs and leg irons.
On May 6, 2023, at 2:30 AM, Shahin managed to escape by using his position in the kitchen and the freedom of movement it afforded him. After walking in the mountains for a full day and night, he reached the Iranian Consulate in Erbil and asked for help.
After a month of the consulate’s efforts to prepare the necessary documents for a legal return, Shahin headed to the Iranian border. Along the way, he was arrested by Asayish forces from the Kurdistan Region and held in solitary confinement for three months. Finally, given the lack of evidence of espionage, his possession of consulate documents, and a chronic illness, he was released. With the help of some porters and smugglers, he crossed the Tamarchin border into Iran.
After serving a one-year sentence in Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah for membership in armed groups, Shahin now owns a liver kebab shop in Sahneh County. He has not yet been able to obtain a business license.
Interview with Shahin Soltani
Question: First, tell us a little about your past. What led you on a path that ended up with you in the Kurdistan Region and later with armed groups?
Shahin Soltani: I grew up in Sahneh County. I finished high school, but from a young age, I faced financial problems. My family had a tough economic situation, and I was looking for work but couldn’t find a job. The financial pressure and lack of a future made me feel like I was stuck.
I reconnected with my old friend, Shahab Ghazvineh, on Instagram. Shahab had gone to the region years before, and the name of his organization was “Kardo,” but I didn’t know he was a member of an armed group. He talked about his life, saying he was a crane operator with a good income.
He even promised me a job and a house. These promises made me decide to take a chance.
Question: How did you leave Iran and enter the Kurdistan Region?
Shahin Soltani: On April 5, 2021, with Shahab’s help, I went to the Sardasht border. I thought I would cross the border normally and go to work. But a few armed men appeared and took me across. Shortly after, I got into a white van and had a bad feeling because it looked nothing like a normal entry for a job.
Question: What was the first moment you realized you had been deceived?
Shahin Soltani: When the van took me directly to the “Pardi” camp. My phone and personal belongings were taken, and after threats and a struggle, I realized the whole thing was a trap. They told me there was no way back and I had to stay. That same night, I realized I was in the hands of people who had no mercy.
Question: What were the conditions like in the camp? What kind of tasks were you given?
Shahin Soltani: From the first days, I was forced to participate in mandatory political and military classes, which were mostly brainwashing. We learned slogans, memorized the group’s history, and even had military training. Most of my time was spent on service work: cooking, washing dishes, and standing guard. There was no salary. I was only looking for work, not war or ideology.
Question: Did you ever think about escaping during your time there?
Shahin Soltani: Yes, after about a year and a half, I couldn’t take it anymore. My youth was slipping away, and I had no future. I decided to escape but was caught and tortured for a month in the group’s internal prison, with my hands and feet cuffed.
Question: What finally led you to successfully escape?
Shahin Soltani: After enduring the torture, I waited for an opportunity. Since I had become the head of the kitchen, I had some freedom of movement. At 2:30 AM on May 6, 2023, I quietly left the camp and walked for nearly a day and a night until I reached the Iranian Consulate in Erbil.
Question: What help did the Iranian Consulate in Erbil provide you?
Shahin Soltani: I asked for help. It took about a month for the legal return documents to be prepared. When I was on my way to the border, Asayish forces from the Kurdistan Region arrested me. They realized I had escaped from the group, and I was held in solitary confinement for three months. Food and medicine were limited, and I developed a chronic illness.
Question: How were you freed from that prison?
Shahin Soltani: Since I had no evidence of being a spy and had the consulate’s documents, there was no case against me. My condition was worsening, so I was released and returned to Iran with the help of porters and smugglers from the Tamarchin border.
Question: What happened when you returned to Iran?
Shahin Soltani: Upon entering, I was arrested and served a one-year sentence in Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah for membership in armed groups.
Question: What is your situation like today?
Shahin Soltani: I now have a liver kebab shop in Sahneh County, but because of my security record, I have not been able to get a business license. Life is hard, but I am free.
Question: Looking back, how do you feel?
Shahin Soltani: I regret the days I could have stayed and worked in my own country, but instead was a captive of false promises. I still remember the torture and the prison.
Question: What is your message to young people who might be deceived by similar promises?
Shahin Soltani: Never fall for beautiful promises on social media. They are only looking to exploit the difficult circumstances of young people. No one cares about your life or your future. I lost important years of my life, and I hope no other young person gets caught in this fate.
