Three killed in protests in Iranian Kurdistan: Tehran
Times
TEHRAN, Feb 24 (AFP) - Three people were killed on Monday during protests
in Sanandaj, the main city in Iranian Kurdistan, a newspaper said Wednesday,
as a Kurdish MP criticized the handling of the demonstrations.
The English-language Tehran Times did not provide any details on the
deaths, but quoted a member of parliament from the region as criticizing
the handling of the protests by the provincial authorities.
Iranian Kurdistan has been the scene of violent demonstrations in recent
days calling for Turkey to release Turkish Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah
Ocalan.
Ocalan, the head of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), was snatched
by Turkish agents in Kenya last week and brought back to Turkey, where
he will stand trial on terrorism charges.
The Tehran Times said Sanandaj MP Bahaeddin Adab, "commenting on
the mishap that took place in Sanandaj on Monday in which three people
were killed," had "blasted the provincial administration in Kurdistan
province."
"The officials did not have any justification to prevent anti-US
(and) anti-Israeli demonstrations held in support of Ocalan in Kurdistan,"
the MP said.
Sanandaj's governor announced Sunday that the police would deal with
any unauthorized assembly.
Turkey removed its consular personnel from Urumiyeh in northwestern
Iran, close to the Turkish border, after a violent Kurdish protest, the
Turkish foreign ministry said Sunday.
Three people were slain in Urumiyeh on Friday and two police officers
were wounded when police tried to repulse an attack on the Turkish consulate,
the Turkish news agency Anatolia reported.
The Iranian newspaper Jahan-e-Eslam, which is close to the government,
reported Sunday that two youths had been killed in the violence.
Most of Iran's five to six million Kurds live in the west of the country.
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