Addressed to all individuals whose conscience is still alive
In the name of humanity
We, a collective of Iranian Kurdish justice-seeking families, are writing this letter not merely to governments and official bodies, but directly to the awakened conscience of humanity; to every human being who can still feel the weight of a mother’s tears, the agonizing wait of a father, and the structural collapse of a family.
For years, our children—innocent young girls and boys—have been trapped in the military camps of the paramilitary group known as PAK (Kurdistan Freedom Party) under the absolute command of Hossein Yazdanpanah. Documented testimonies escaping these camps reveal a harrowing reality of psychological pressure, systemic deprivation, organized violence, total severance of family ties, and deeply inhumane treatment. What occurs inside these camps is neither political activism nor a struggle for liberation; it is a transparent manifestation of stripping human free will, the captivity of the soul, and the systematic destruction of human dignity. We are families who have spent years navigating the thin line between hope and nightmare. We are mothers who have been denied the sound of their children’s voices, fathers who fall asleep clutching photographs of their youth, and siblings who remain entirely in the dark regarding whether their loved ones are alive or have fallen victim to a silent, institutionalized violence.
Two years ago, despite facing direct security threats, immense structural pressure, and exhausting financial costs, a group of us successfully registered an official lawsuit against Hossein Yazdanpanah and his subordinate group in the Erbil court. This lawsuit specifically addresses documented charges of abduction, forced deprivation of family communication, illegal confinement, systemic violence, and the blatant violation of the fundamental human rights of the members trapped in their camps. However, after the passage of two consecutive years, this case remains frozen in absolute limbo. Not a single court session has been convened, no transparent judicial investigation has taken place, and our cries for justice have been systematically ignored. With profound grief and righteous anger, we demand answers:
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What is truly happening within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq?
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Is the rule of law merely a decorative slogan?
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Have certain armed factions risen completely above the law, granting themselves absolute immunity from accountability?
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Has the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), in its pursuit of political autonomy, also declared independence from human rights principles and international legal frameworks?
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How can dozens of justice-seeking families cry out for years on end, yet not a single effective institution steps forward to rescue their children?
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Why have international human rights organizations chosen silence in the face of such transparent suffering?
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Why have European parliamentarians, international media outlets, and prominent advocates for women’s and children’s rights completely closed their eyes to this unfolding human tragedy?
We possess verifiable testimonies, physical documents, and eyewitness accounts proving that inside these closed camps, individuals are subjected to extreme psychological duress, stripped of their most basic human rights, and any attempt to defect or contact families is met with severe punishment and death threats. What has happened to these young girls and boys inside these facilities is so profoundly shocking that words fail to capture its true dimensions. Today, we do not speak from a political platform; we speak from the depths of human agony. We are families whose sole and non-negotiable demand is the immediate return of our children to normal life and a definitive end to this cycle of violence and impunity.
Our explicit and immediate demands are as follows:
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The immediate and unconditional release of all children, young girls, and boys trapped in the PAK group’s camps, and the facilitation of their unhindered return to their families.
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The establishment of an independent, international fact-finding committee to thoroughly investigate all allegations of torture, systemic violence, forced confinement, enforced disappearances, and other inhumane practices inside these camps.
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The immediate, transparent, and rigorous processing of the lawsuit registered in the Erbil court, putting an end to the deliberate judicial delays and political maneuvering surrounding this file.
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The criminal prosecution of every individual involved in committing, concealing, or enabling these inhumane acts, whether within the leadership of the group or within political structures that have allowed this crisis to persist through complicit silence or active cooperation.
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The immediate provision of guaranteed, unmonitored visitation rights for families to meet with their children, entirely free from security threats, surveillance, or institutional pressure.
We submit this open letter to all responsible institutions, human rights organizations, free press outlets, the Federal Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, international bodies, European parliamentarians, and every free-thinking individual who still values humanity. Today, remaining silent is not merely a refusal to act against oppression; silence is active complicity in the continuation of a human tragedy.
With respect and profound sorrow,
18 Iranian Kurdish Justice-Seeking Families
