The Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch is urgently calling on the Swedish government to stop the PJAK terrorist group’s media activities in Sweden, citing concerns that its channel, Aryen TV, promotes terrorism and ethnic hatred
A Letter from the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch to the Esteemed Government of the Kingdom of Sweden, the Ministry of Justice, the Swedish Security Service (Säpo), the Swedish Press and Broadcasting Authority (MPRT), and all Relevant Swedish Authorities
We, representing the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch, express our deep concern regarding the free and continuous operation of the so-called Aryen TV network. This network broadcasts from Stockholm and serves as the de facto media arm of the terrorist group PJAK (Party of Free Life of Kurdistan), which is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). For reasons thoroughly documented in this letter, Aryen TV is actively promoting terrorism, inciting ethnic hatred, and supporting terrorist and armed actions against civilians.
Based on field information, reports from human rights organizations, and documented evidence published in Swedish and international media, this network, operating under the guise of a media outlet and registered in Sweden as “Chatr Multimedia / Jatar Media,” has been promoting violence, ethnic and racial hatred, advocating terrorism, recruiting children and adolescents for armed groups, and engaging in money laundering and terrorist financing on Swedish soil.
The terrorist group PJAK is the Iranian branch of the PKK terrorist group. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States, Turkey, and Iran. It stands accused of human rights violations, terrorist acts, drug production, distribution, and trafficking, violations of women’s and children’s rights, and the use of child soldiers. This terrorist group’s media outlet in Sweden is openly and explicitly promoting violence and terror, and conducting interviews with the leaders of these terrorist groups.
It’s important to note that based on a series of binding laws within Sweden, including:
- The Media Liability Act (Medieansvarslag): This law specifies media responsibilities regarding published content. Media outlets are obligated to refrain from disseminating content that could lead to the promotion of violence or terrorism.
- The Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (Offentlighets- och sekretesslag): While this law addresses principles of transparency and public access to information, it also includes restrictions on the dissemination of information that might be related to security threats or terrorism.
- Sections 16, 18, 21, and 23 concerning incitement to hatred and terrorism of the Swedish Penal Code (Brottsbalken);
- The Swedish Terrorist Offenses Act (Lag, 2003: 148);
- The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act (Lag, 2017: 630);
- And the Children’s Convention (Barnkonventionen, ratified 2020), which is part of Swedish domestic law;
Support for this terrorist group is a crime, and the activities of its related entities in Sweden are prohibited.
The prohibition of media activities that benefit terrorism, and the emphasis on their responsibility to prevent the promotion of violence and extremism, is a matter of international law and has been addressed in various documents. The International Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Children in Armed Conflict, the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (1999), and European Union Council documents, which have officially listed the PKK as a terrorist group since 2002, all stipulate that these groups, including PJAK, should not operate on European or Swedish soil. The PJAK group’s media outlet also plays a significant role in money laundering and transferring funds to this terrorist group.
It should be noted that Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) explicitly states that any advocacy of war or any advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence shall be prohibited by law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) also guarantees the right to freedom of expression, but simultaneously emphasizes that this right must not lead to the destruction of the rights of others or the promotion of hatred and violence. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) also urges member states to prohibit any activity that aids in the promotion of terrorism, including media propaganda. Furthermore, member states are obligated to combat terrorism and prevent any activities that contribute to its strengthening.
The Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch wishes to emphasize that according to reports received from victims and former PJAK members:
Firstly: An individual named Amir Karimi, a senior member of this group who has resided in Sweden for years, has recruited individuals through human trafficking under the guise of asylum cases, then directed them to join PJAK’s military structures in Iran, Iraq, and Syria. He currently leads one of this terrorist group’s military branches in the mountains of northern Iraq and is on regional entities’ terrorist lists.
Secondly: The so-called Aryen TV network not only produces content aimed at inciting ethnic unrest, glorifying armed operations, and justifying violence, but it also directly advertises for young audiences to join the armed ranks of PKK/PJAK-affiliated groups. Unfortunately, this network openly violates the principle of media neutrality, transforming into a platform for spreading hatred against the people and government of Iran, and has repeatedly provided content supporting terror, armed operations, and bombings on Iranian soil.
Emphasizing the legal and moral responsibility of the Swedish government, we urgently request the following:
- Immediate closure of Aryen TV as a media outlet actively serving a group listed as a terrorist organization internationally.
- Judicial and security investigations against the media company operating the network, its main actors, and financial and technical supporters, pursuing charges including terrorist financing, money laundering, and child recruitment.
- Cooperation with international human rights organizations to thoroughly examine all aspects of this network’s and the related company’s activities.
- Review of cases related to Amir Karimi and other known PJAK operatives in Sweden with a criminal justice approach.
Finally, the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch is fully prepared to:
- Provide all documents, reports, testimonies, and field data related to PJAK’s illegal and terrorist activities on Swedish soil to the official authorities of this country.
- Collaborate in identifying victims, recruited individuals, former child soldiers in this group, and exposing active human trafficking networks associated with this movement.
- Hold official meetings and correspond with the Swedish Ministry of Justice and the Swedish Human Rights Commission.
Sincerely and with emphasis on the necessity of immediate action,
Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch
June 2025
Contact Email: info@ikhrw.com
Official Website: www.ikhrw.com/en
