Javad Azimi Emamgholi: “Everything was very different from what I imagined. When I arrived at the base, I realized it was like a military camp.”
The lives of migrants and individuals who leave their homelands for economic, social, or political reasons are always fraught with unique challenges and complexities. These challenges not only include financial difficulties and a lack of access to suitable job opportunities but can also push individuals toward difficult and dangerous choices. Javad Azimi Emamgholi, a young man from Quchan County, illustrates one such bitter and tense experience. Born in Quchan in 1999, he completed his education up to the third year of junior high school. Due to his family’s unfavorable economic conditions, he was forced to leave school early and enter the workforce. After a period of struggle in his hometown, unable to meet basic living needs, he decided to illegally migrate to the Kurdistan Region.
This perilous migration, which began in 2019, not only introduced him to the harsh realities of migrant life but also entangled him with armed groups. Javad, by following the activities of the terrorist group “PAK” (Kurdistan Freedom Party) on social media, joined the group hoping to find a job and better living conditions. However, after two years of living in the camp and facing psychological pressures, he decided to escape and went to Sulaymaniyah. But because PAK members had threatened that “if they return to Iran, they will be tortured and arrested,” he decided to join the KOMALA (Communist Party of Iran/Alizadeh Faction). Javad Azimi told our reporter that after quitting his addiction and tiring of camp life, he decided to return. After settling his affairs with the KOMALA group, he went to the Iranian Consulate in August 2023 to return to the country. This story highlights the dire situation of individuals who, in search of freedom and a better livelihood, may make dangerous and unexpected choices. Javad Azimi is now working as a building security guard in Tehran, and his experiences can serve as a case study for examining the social and economic issues of migration and its impacts on individuals’ personal and social lives.
What made you decide to join the PAK group?
Javad Azimi: I was born in Quchan County and completed my education up to the third year of junior high. After that, due to my family’s economic problems, I had to enter the workforce earlier. I worked in my hometown for a while, but the economic situation wasn’t very good, and the wages I received weren’t enough to live on. These problems made me think about working somewhere else. About four years ago, I decided to go to the Kurdistan Region for work. Of course, this journey was illegal, and I entered through the Sardasht border. When I arrived in the region, I realized that without residence and documents, it was hard for an Iranian to find work. They didn’t care about us as Iranians and didn’t give me suitable job opportunities. I had been following PAK group pages on Instagram before. They always wore military uniforms and spoke about the freedom of Kurdistan, which as a Kurmanj Kurd, I felt I should support. Of course, when I decided to join, I was only looking for a job and better living conditions, not genuinely believing in their ideology. I knew nothing about PAK’s beliefs and conditions. I was just looking for work.
What promises did the person or people you contacted make to you? Did they tell you about an easy life or being sent to Europe?
Javad Azimi: No, they never promised me such things. I wasn’t expecting such promises from the start either. They only told me that if I joined, I could work and live there. Because I was suffering from drug addiction (crystal meth), I thought maybe I could quit there and start a new life. That was the only thing that mattered to me. At first, I thought there might be some kind of structured life there that would allow me to get rid of my addiction and return to a normal life. But when I joined, I realized that things were completely different from what I imagined.
When you joined, what were your living conditions like there?
Javad Azimi: The truth is, everything was very different from what I imagined. When I arrived at the base, I realized it was like a military camp. In the mornings, we had to attend political and military training classes. Since I didn’t have much education, I didn’t understand the purpose of these trainings at all. After that, most of the time we were on guard duty. One of the reasons I truly got fed up with the place was the harsh living conditions. We lived very hard lives in the camps. Food was scarce, facilities were minimal, and we were always under pressure from commanders. Since I was recovering from a past addiction, I found these difficult conditions even harder to bear. No one at the PAK headquarters really cared about the mental and physical health of the forces; we were simply there as laborers and guards. There were no good wages either. At first, I thought maybe I could quit my addiction there, but with time I realized that this environment was not suitable for that. There was a lot of mental and physical pressure, and I grew weaker every day.
What kind of work were you doing there? Please describe your situation in more detail.
Javad Azimi: At first, they told me I had to participate in training courses. But I had no interest in that. Because of my past addiction, I was often weak and couldn’t participate well in the classes. After that, I was mostly assigned to guard duty. The main problem was that I had no political views at all; I was just looking for work and a life. But when they realized that I had only joined because of economic conditions and addiction, they left me alone. It was just that I was always in the camp and had no role. In the camp, days were long and exhausting. We were just busy with guard duty, training classes that were meaningless to me, and occasionally military exercises. There was no opportunity for real rest or a normal life.
Why did you decide to escape from the PAK group?
Javad Azimi: After two years, I was truly tired of this life. Since I had quit my addiction, I now wanted to have a normal life. But there was no opportunity for that there. There was always pressure, and I saw no future for myself. Another reason was that the commanders threatened us that if we escaped and returned to Iran, we would be tortured and arrested. I took this seriously and decided to join another group instead of returning to Iran. This was the KOMALA group, which I thought had better conditions.
What happened after you escaped from the PAK group?
Javad Azimi: I went to Sulaymaniyah and contacted the KOMALA group there. Initially, I hoped that by joining this group, I could escape the pressures I had experienced in the PAK camp and find an opportunity for a better life. But unfortunately, conditions there weren’t much different. Life in the camps continued, and the mental and physical pressures of these conditions weighed heavily on me. I experienced another two years of the same camp life. Every day, I faced new challenges, from a lack of facilities and financial resources to a sense of despair and helplessness that gradually took root within me. The mental and physical pressures reached a point where I felt I couldn’t continue any longer.
Finally, I decided not to continue this life and return to Iran. This decision was very difficult for me because it meant accepting defeat in my attempt to find a better life.
How did you return to Iran, and how were you treated?
Javad Azimi: I surrendered myself through the Iranian Consulate in Sulaymaniyah. At first, I was a bit worried that I might be tortured or arrested, but fortunately, that didn’t happen. They only asked me a few questions, and then they allowed me to return to Iran. Now I’m working as a building security guard in Tehran and trying to live a quiet life.
Are you regretful today about your decision to join the PAK group?
Javad Azimi: Yes, I am completely regretful. If I could go back in time, I would never have made that decision. I was only looking for a better life, but instead, I spent four years of my life in harsh camp conditions. I hope I can have a calmer life now and never make such a mistake again.
How did you feel when you realized that the conditions there weren’t as you imagined?
Javad Azimi: When I entered the base, at first, I thought I might have made a mistake, but I still hoped that maybe I could quit my addiction and have a better life. But with time, that hope also disappeared. I was just a simple worker looking for work and a life, not to get stuck in such an environment. The mental and physical pressure was very heavy. We didn’t even have the right to criticize. If someone spoke up or was dissatisfied, they would find an excuse to punish them. I had no motivation to stay, I was just waiting for when I could escape from there.
Did you meet anyone there who was similar to you, meaning they had joined without political motivations?
Javad Azimi: Yes, most of the people there were exactly like me, with no political motivations. They were also just looking for work and a life and had no political views. But when they realized that we had only joined because of economic conditions and addiction, they left us alone. We just had a physical presence and no role in decision-making.
After returning to Iran, did your family support you?
Javad Azimi: Yes, my family supported me a lot after I returned. They knew that I had made this decision because of economic problems and addiction, not for any political motivation. Now I’m trying to make my family happy by working and living a normal life.
Are you still free from addiction today?
Javad Azimi: Yes, fortunately, I am free from addiction now. This is one of the reasons I’m proud of myself. Although I had tough conditions there, I was able to get rid of my addiction, and now I have a calmer life.
