Hengaw statement on denial of medical care and violation of the right to life following IRGC drone attacks
Hengaw– Wednesday, April 15, 2026
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights strongly condemns the denial of emergency medical treatment to Ghazal Mawlan, a member of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, who died on April 14, 2026, after sustaining critical injuries in drone strikes carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on party camps in the Sordash area of Sulaymaniyah province.
Based on verified information obtained by Hengaw, and statements from Komala officials, Mawlan was transferred in the critical hours following her injury to several public and private medical centers in Sulaymaniyah. However, these facilities refused to admit her and provide urgent medical care, citing concerns over continued Iranian drone and missile attacks.
Hengaw emphasizes that such refusal constitutes a clear violation of the right to life and a breach of fundamental medical ethics and international humanitarian law. Under the Geneva Conventions, all wounded individuals must be treated without discrimination, and medical personnel and facilities are bound by the principle of neutrality. Security concerns or political considerations cannot justify the denial of life-saving treatment.
The failure to provide urgent medical care in conflict or quasi-conflict conditions is not only a grave professional violation but, in many jurisdictions, may constitute a prosecutable criminal act.
This incident occurred approximately one week after the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran, Israel and the United States. Despite this, IRGC forces carried out renewed and coordinated drone attacks targeting camps belonging to both the Komala Party and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), in a clear breach of the ceasefire.
According to data documented by Hengaw, since the beginning of recent regional tensions, Iranian forces have carried out at least 171 attacks on the positions and camps of Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of at least six Peshmergas and injuries to at least 35 others.
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights calls for:
1. Immediate and transparent investigation by the Kurdistan Regional Government into the refusal of medical centers to admit and treat Ghazal Mawlan, with findings made public.
2. Accountability for violations of medical neutrality and the right to life under international law.
3. Urgent measures to protect civilians and political refugees residing in the Kurdistan Region, whose safety is increasingly at risk.
4. Decisive action by the international community, including United Nations human rights mechanisms, to prevent further violations and ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.
Hengaw further reiterates that repeated Iranian military strikes on the Kurdistan Region constitute a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and the prohibition on the use of force under Article 2 of the United Nations Charter.
Hengaw Organization for Human Rights
April 15, 2026
