The name of the interviewee in this report has been changed to “Hira” to protect her safety. Similarly, the name of her city of residence has been altered, with “Marivan” serving as a pseudonym for her hometown. This report is based on an audio and video interview with Hira, conducted at her residence in one of the neighborhoods of her town.
In this interview, Hira recounts in detail her experience of connecting with members of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), her departure from Iran at the age of fifteen, her transfer to the group’s bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, life within the military structure of the organization, threats, torture, solitary confinement, repeated escape attempts, witnessing the deaths and suicides of members, and her eventual escape.
Hira states that she was born on February 6, 2005 (18 Bahman 1383), and first encountered the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) in 2020 (1399), when she was just over fifteen years old. According to her, this connection originated in cyberspace on Instagram. While browsing the platform, she saw a post by a member of the group featuring a girl holding a weapon during an interview. Hira notes that the scene was exciting and attractive to her, as she believed such an image of an armed female military figure did not exist in her everyday environment. Driven by curiosity and interest, she liked the post.
Immediately after liking the post, she was contacted via Instagram direct message. Group members asked whether she was interested in their organization and why she liked the content. Hira responded openly about her background, explaining that she was an athlete with a strong interest in weapons and military affairs. Initially, the conversations were casual and friendly. Group members assured her, “We have no intention of bringing you here; we are just talking to you normally as a friend.” Accepting this reassurance, Hira continued the dialogue, sharing details about her athletic activities while members routinely encouraged her with praise.
After about a month of communicating with a male member of the group, his tone shifted dramatically from friendly conversation to coercion and threats. He told her, “You must pack up and come join the group; if you don’t, things will end very badly for you! I am someone who was previously arrested in Iran, joined the group, and has now returned inside Iran to carry out missions and spy against the government. If security officers find out you talked to me, it will end very badly for you, so you had better join us yourself.”
At the time, Hira was only fifteen years old and living in a traditional, religious family with significant domestic restrictions. Simultaneously, group members repeatedly promised her that their bases offered “complete freedom” where she could do whatever she wished. Facing intensified threats on one side, and enticed by the mental image of freedom on the other, she did not mount serious opposition and agreed to coordinate her departure with the group.
Operatives associated with PAK picked her up and transported her toward the city of Saqqez. However, the mobile phone she used at home was shared with her brother. Her family discovered her messages, realized she had left, and contacted the police. Law enforcement officers located Hira in Saqqez, arrested her, and returned her to her family. In total, she attempted to flee her home twice. Following her return, her family deleted Instagram and Telegram from the phone. However, because she required access to the Shad educational application for schoolwork, she retained access to the device.
Anticipating that messaging through Shad might be risky, group members re-established contact with her through Facebook, where their threats escalated significantly. They informed her, “If the police find out about this, we will kill a member of your family without delay; killing your family is very easy for us.” To prove they possessed detailed intelligence on her and her family, they sent her father’s exact house address, a neighborhood map, and even a photo secretly taken from outside her bedroom window. They warned, “Do you think this is hard for us? We are much closer than you imagine. Killing you is nothing, but killing your family members is easier and will make you suffer more! If we find out you said even a single word to the police about us, have no doubt we will massacre your family right before your eyes.”
The morning after the Facebook exchange, her family discovered the renewed contact. Her father became extremely angry and punished her physically. Hira explains that this reaction solidified her decision to escape and join the group, feeling that her family had punished her instead of offering counsel, signaling to her that they no longer wanted her at home.
The next morning, despite the front yard gate being locked, Hira climbed over the gate into the alley. A group-affiliated operative was waiting outside, pretending to paint a wall. Upon noticing her, he signaled her over and demanding, “We’ve been waiting here for days, why are you so late?” He then directed her to the top of the street where a silver Peugeot was waiting. She entered the vehicle, and they drove off to an undisclosed location.
After stopping for several hours at an unknown site, she was transported toward a mountainous border village characterized by ravines, rivers, and rocky terrain. Upon reaching a ravine, they used ropes to descend the cliffs, crossed the border, and arrived at an area called Jahih (Lah).
There, a Toyota 4.5—locally referred to as a “Land MiG”—arrived from the group to pick her up. They brought her a military uniform that was excessively large and baggy, clearly marking her as a new recruit. To bypass security checkpoints and prevent her arrest for illegal entry, group members prepared a fake identification card for her. When she viewed the card, she saw her name listed as “Shirin” with a birth year of 2000; thus, the fifteen-year-old was documented as twenty years old. Hira realized that the membership of minors under eighteen was formally prohibited within the organizational structure, prompting the group to inflate her age for transit. At every military checkpoint (Saitara), officers expressed doubt about her youthfulness, but group handlers insisted she was twenty years old with a child-like face, successfully negotiating entry to the main headquarters near Koye. This extensive base had been placed at the disposal of PAK by the Barzani authorities and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Upon passing the main entry checkpoint, she was transferred to the reception section, where approximately thirty girls and women were waiting—some having resided there for up to a month. After receiving a properly fitted uniform, all female recruits gathered for an orientation session to assign operational aliases. Due to her athletic agility, she was assigned the organizational code name “Tizbal.” Officials stressed that no one should know anyone’s real name to prevent identity leaks if a member escaped. Recruits introduced themselves using aliases such as “Delzhin” and “Sarwar.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, the recruits stomped their boots, congratulated one another, and laughed. However, Hira noticed a girl sitting in the corner who appeared distressed, looking at her with a bitter smirk. Curious, Hira approached her and asked why she was smirking. The girl replied, “Shame on you for coming here! You have no idea what disaster you’ve brought upon yourself!”
In those initial days, caught up in the excitement and idealized notions of military life, Hira did not comprehend the warning. The prospect of living without a veil, managing her own tasks, bearing arms, and participating in a military structure seemed appealing. A month later, a joint ceremony was held between the female and male camps, which were strictly segregated. During the event, Hira noticed male members eyeing the female recruits with looks she described as degrading and objectifying, comparing the atmosphere to buyers at a slave market.
The girl who had warned her on the first day, named Shilan, approached her again. Shilan explained her own backstory: “Now do you understand why I said you ruined your life? I left everything and joined because of one of these boys named Hiva, who spent a year convincing me he loved me and wanted to marry me. But the moment I arrived, he abandoned me, and we weren’t even allowed private visits.” Shilan revealed that male members receive administrative promotions, higher rank, and money for recruiting female members. Furthermore, Shilan detailed the group’s financial backing, claiming that the Barzani government pays monthly stipends of 65 million IQD to the group and its leader, Hussein Yazdanpana, for each fighter recruited into PAK.
Hira realized that recruits brought from Iran, particularly adolescents and youth, were utilized as defensive military fodder and human shields destined for front lines in the event of armed conflict. The female base housed individuals from diverse backgrounds—girls fleeing forced marriages, women escaping domestic abuse, and individuals facing severe personal hardships. Male recruits similarly entered with personal legal or social issues.
Observing these realities, Hira’s initial illusions of freedom, equality, and success within PAK collapsed completely. When she later requested a mobile phone, she was informed that phone ownership was strictly prohibited for female recruits, with commanders claiming, “Girls are emotional and easily deceived.” Hira noted severe gender discrimination, stating female recruits lacked access even to the basic amenities granted to male members. She also faced repeated forced marriage proposals; initially, commanders approached her gently, claiming, “If you marry, you will become a commander, gain comfort and peace, and no one will dare disrespect you.”
(To be continued…)
