Reza Ghazi-Khani: I wasn’t even Kurdish to be involved in the issues of armed groups and their slogans
Unemployment, as a social and economic problem, can have profound effects on young people and society as a whole. It also significantly influences the recruitment of youth into armed and paramilitary groups, including:
Economic Despair and Lack of Future Prospects
Young individuals searching for employment who cannot achieve their economic goals may feel a sense of hopelessness. This despair can lead to decreased self-confidence and a feeling of aimlessness. When young people cannot envision a bright future for themselves, they may be drawn to dangerous and illegal options, such as joining armed groups.
Financial and Economic Incentives
Armed groups often exploit the unfavorable economic conditions of young people. They may offer attractive financial promises that are very tempting for unemployed youth. These promises can include monthly salaries, benefits, and even travel opportunities. Young people in difficult economic situations may decide to join these groups to secure financial stability.
Social and Cultural Influences
In societies with high unemployment rates, social and cultural pressures can play a significant role in attracting young people to armed groups. Young individuals living in neighborhoods with widespread discontent may be influenced by friends or family members who have joined these groups. Additionally, media and social networks can play a crucial role in promoting the ideologies of armed groups.
Lack of Access to Education and Job Opportunities
In many societies, the lack of access to quality education and suitable job opportunities can push young people towards joining armed groups. When young individuals cannot acquire the necessary skills to enter the job market, they may feel they have no other option but to join these groups.
Therefore, it can be generally stated that unemployment is a key factor in the recruitment of young people into armed groups. To address this problem, it is necessary for governments and international organizations to pay special attention to creating job opportunities, education, and social support to prevent such phenomena. Establishing youth empowerment programs, strengthening job skills, and increasing access to education can be effective strategies in reducing this issue.
Reza Ghazi-Khani, a former member of the PAK terrorist group (born in 1980), is among those who, due to unemployment and migrating to Iraqi Kurdistan without sufficient information, was ultimately forced to join one of the most dangerous Kurdish armed groups in the region, namely PAK. Mr. Ghazi-Khani illegally entered Iraqi Kurdistan in 2014 due to unemployment. Given that he did not have a residency card, he joined the dangerous Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) terrorist group by visiting their headquarters. Due to his background as a medical assistant in Iran, he was employed in the group’s medical center and left PAK after two years at his own insistence. Ghazi-Khani told our reporter that due to his insistence on leaving the PAK armed group, he incurred the wrath of the group’s leaders. With their implicit approval, the region’s security forces arrested and tortured him for about three weeks before handing him over to the court, which ultimately acquitted and released him.
Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background in Iran. How much did you know about the armed groups in the border regions of Iran?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: I am Reza Ghazi-Khani, born on March 11, 1981, in Hamadan. My family is originally Turkish-speaking, and we were never involved in political or ethnic issues. I mean, I wasn’t even Kurdish to be involved in the issues of armed groups and their slogans. My life in Hamadan was simple, and I started working in my teens. Later, I completed first aid and emergency medical courses and worked for a while as a medical assistant in clinics and private centers. However, from 2013 onwards, the economic situation deteriorated to the point where there were no suitable jobs to be found, and there was no hope for improvement. Rent, debt, and financial pressures led me to look for a way to leave Iran because my life in Iran lacked any comfort.
When did you decide to immigrate? And how did you go about it? Why did you go to the Kurdistan Region in the first place?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: In 2014, after months of unemployment, I decided to leave the country. I was 34 years old and didn’t have a good income. I was forced to leave; since I couldn’t immigrate legally, I crossed the border with the help of some smugglers and entered Iraqi Kurdistan. Without residency and documents, I had no hope for life. I spent my days hungry and displaced, going from shop to shop looking for work, but no one was willing to hire me without residency. In these difficult circumstances, someone crossed my path and said there was a way out. Now, when I think back to those days, I sometimes conclude that it was as if some people deliberately didn’t hire me to pave the way for the entry of PAK forces and to deceive me and others like me. There was a cycle: illegal entry into the region, unemployment, not being hired due to lack of a residency card, deceiving job-seeking youth, and ultimately, a young person joining an armed group.
What did that person suggest?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: He said there was a group called the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PAK) that sheltered Iranians and provided food and lodging, especially for those with skills, like medical assistants. At the time, I didn’t know what kind of group I was dealing with. I was neither Kurdish, nor political, nor armed. All I wanted was to find a place where I could lay my head down and sleep at night. I was deceived so easily! I can’t believe I joined an armed group so simply.
How did your entry into the PAK group happen, and what was your situation?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: I went with that person to one of PAK’s headquarters in the mountainous border areas. They told me that because I had medical assistant skills, I would go directly to the clinic. They seemed welcoming, but the reality was different. This group was run like a military barracks, with strict hierarchies, mandatory training, ideological sessions, and complete control over people’s lives. Phones, internet, and even contact with family were forbidden. The only things I was supposed to see and hear were what they wanted. On the surface, I was a medical and relief worker; but the reality was that I had entered a military base!
What did you do during your time in the group?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: I worked in a small clinic belonging to the group. My duties included bandaging wounds, giving injections, and assisting the injured. But every day, I endured more psychological pressure. Any opposition was met with interrogation. I repeatedly emphasized that I was not Kurdish and that my goal had never been to join the group or engage in armed struggle. I had only gone there to survive. But it seemed no one was listening. They were only looking to recruit forces, even if they had to deceive or pressure people. There was no news of money or salary either! I had become their pawn, and of course, I was lucky to be working in the clinic! At least I had a chance to stay alive.
When did you decide to leave the group? What was their reaction?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: After about two years, I had truly reached my breaking point. The group’s atmosphere was extremely closed and sectarian, and I, who had no intellectual or ethnic ties to them, felt suffocated. I requested to leave several times, but I was threatened. The last time, they coordinated to hand me over to the security forces of Iraqi Kurdistan, the “Parastin.” It was as if they wanted to eliminate me without directly getting involved themselves. I had gone from PAK prison to Parastin prison! The only goal was to intimidate and threaten me.
What happened in the Parastin detention center?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: I was in Parastin detention for three weeks. During this time, blindfolded and handcuffed, under physical and psychological torture, they demanded that I confess to being an Iranian agent. I only told the truth, but they either didn’t want to believe it or couldn’t. I experienced insults, beatings, sleep deprivation, and hunger. My only “crime” was saying that I wanted to leave the group. I am certain that this torture was coordinated with PAK.
How were you released and returned to Iran?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: Ultimately, my case was referred to the local court in the Kurdistan Region. There, after reviewing the documents and hearing my defense, the judge acquitted me. After this, with the help of the Iranian consulate in Sulaymaniyah, I was able to return to the country. The consulate officials were very respectful and helped me through the return process easily. I was lucky I didn’t lose my life in Parastin prison!
Were you treated any differently after your return?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: Fortunately, no. There were a few sessions to review my background and register information, which was natural. I told them everything honestly, from being deceived to the torture. After that, they allowed me to return to Hamadan, and now I am trying to rebuild my life.
What message do you have for young people who might be deceived like you were?
Reza Ghazi-Khani: Please don’t make decisions out of desperation. I was neither Kurdish nor political, but I became prey. These groups exploit people’s poverty, unemployment, and homelessness. Under the guise of freedom, they only want mental and physical servitude from you.
