Mehran, a 32-year-old man from a town in Kermanshah province, detailed in a telephone interview with the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch (IKHRW) how he was lured into the Kurdistan Freedom Party and the living conditions inside the group.
Having defected from the organization a few years ago, he says he was transferred to the group’s controlled territory through an old friend using the pseudonym “Shayan,” under the false promise of employment. Mehran explains that his friend claimed to have found him a job operating road construction machinery, which prompted his decision to leave the country.
According to Mehran, after illegally crossing the border, armed men in a windowless white van were waiting for him. He initially thought Kurdistan Region security forces had arrested him for leaving the country illegally, but after boarding the vehicle and repeatedly asking about Shayan, he only received the reply: “We are taking you to Shayan.”
Mehran says throughout the entire van ride, he constantly asked his companions to let him see his friend “Shayan” and go to him. According to him, the passengers repeatedly stated: “We are taking you to Shayan.”
Mehran recalls thinking he was being taken to the promised workplace and his friend, but upon arriving at the military headquarters of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), he realized the situation was entirely different. He emphasizes that he never saw Shayan again from that day onward and believes his friend deceived him.
Mehran states he had no prior knowledge of this group and had never engaged in political activities. Describing himself as an athlete and a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, he says: “I left the country for work, but I ended up in an armed group. That van essentially abducted me.” He views his transfer in that vehicle as a form of kidnapping, as he left the country for employment but was instead taken to the PAK military camps.
Mehran recounts that after being transferred to the group’s main headquarters, when he demanded to return, commanders refused. He says a security official of the organization punched him in the chest, telling him he had to “pay the price for his mistake” and that leaving was impossible.
According to Mehran, he asked the official, “What was my mistake?” and was told: “Coming here. We shouldn’t have to pay for your mistake.”
The defector explains he looked for an escape route from the very first days. He says in one instance, after a failed escape attempt, he was kept handcuffed and shackled for a month and subjected to systematic torture. In this telephone interview, Mehran emphasizes that the beatings were so severe that he lost his vision for about a week and could not open his eyes.
He also speaks of witnessing violent treatment against other members. According to Mehran, a young member who protested the commanders’ behavior was beaten and tortured with punches, kicks, and cables by ten people in the middle of the camp.
According to Mehran, daily life in this organization was entirely militarized. He says members participated in training classes, military training, guard duty, and organizational activities from early morning until night, leaving virtually no opportunity for independent decision-making or personal privacy. Everything was dictated by force and strict orders.
He also mentions communication restrictions, explaining that members were only allowed to contact their families under specific conditions and after long periods. Access to media and news was restricted, and free access to external news sources was prohibited.
In another part of the interview, Mehran highlights the lack of medical care inside the camp, stating he suffered from severe toothache for months without being allowed to see a doctor. Despite repeated requests, he says it took about six months before he was finally taken to a medical center to have the tooth extracted.
Mehran says during his time in the Kurdistan Freedom Party, he also saw adolescents under eighteen in the group’s camps. He states the youngest person he saw was fourteen years old, and these child soldiers were receiving military training and carrying weapons.
Regarding the members’ economic situation, he says each member received only twenty dinars a month—an amount he claims was insufficient to cover even the most basic needs. Mehran explains that sometimes ten members had to pool their monthly salaries to purchase a simple item or good.
Elaborating on the group’s financial status and funding, Mehran states that the Kurdistan Freedom Party received between one million and 1.5 million dinars monthly for each Peshmerga from the Ministry of Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Region, but only about fifteen to twenty thousand dinars of this amount was paid to the members. He says this meager sum could not meet basic daily needs, forcing members to combine their salaries for simple purchases.
Mehran believes ordinary members effectively became tools for extracting these funds, saying: “In reality, they kept us just to receive money from the Ministry of Peshmerga for each person, but our actual share was virtually nothing.”
In another segment, the former member mentions the fate of someone who had attempted to escape multiple times. Mehran says after this individual was recaptured by the group’s forces, he suddenly disappeared, and no one ever heard from him again. Among the members, it was widely believed that the person had been killed, though no official explanation regarding his fate was ever provided.
Mehran explains that after months of trying to earn the officials’ trust, he was transferred to the kitchen and logistics department. He says the responsibility of preparing food and accessing the food depot reduced his restrictions, allowing him to move more freely around the camp.
According to him, on the night of his escape, around 2:30 AM while the guards were resting, he left the kitchen and depot area. Mehran says because he was in charge of feeding the guard dogs, the animals recognized him and did not react when he left. He and another person present at the headquarters tore part of the fence and escaped. After leaving the camp, Mehran reached the city and eventually turned himself in to the representative office of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He says after returning to Iran, he was detained for a period and then resumed his normal life. He now owns a shop but believes he lost years of his life trusting false employment promises.
Throughout the interview, Mehran repeatedly emphasized his concern about his real identity being revealed, stating that a portion of his account had previously been published without full security precautions, causing him problems. He made it clear he does not want his real name and details published in any report.
This interview was conducted by telephone with a former member of the Kurdistan Freedom Party. The individual explicitly stressed that due to security concerns and to protect his life, no images of him should be published, and no references to his real identity or residence should be made.
Note: The names “Mehran” and “Shayan” in this report are pseudonyms used to protect the individuals’ identities.
The audio file of this interview was recorded with the interviewee’s knowledge and consent and is kept in the archives of the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch. The interviewee simultaneously emphasized that his real identity and personal details remain confidential due to security considerations and to protect his life and privacy.
This audio file, if necessary and while adhering to confidentiality principles and identity protection, can be made available to researchers, law students, jurists, documentary filmmakers, and human rights activists for academic, research, and international judicial purposes.
