Hengaw’s Investigation into the Assassination of Two Members of the KDPI in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Hengaw; Friday, July 7th, 2023

In the Sulaymaniyah Governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan, specifically in a tourist area of Qaladze city, two members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, namely Luqman Aji and Adel Mohajer, were victims of an assassination. The perpetrator has since fled to Iran.

According to a report received by the Hengaw organization for Human Rights, the incident occurred at approximately 1 a.m. on Friday, July 7th, 2023, in the tourist village of "Helsho" within the Qaladze district. Luqman Aji, also known as "Luqman Gargoli," and Adel Mohajer, known as "Sarbaz Mohajer," both from Piranshahr origin, were assassinated. Another political activist, Saadi Moradpour, formerly affiliated with the Democratic Party, sustained severe injuries.

Hengaw’s Preliminary investigations indicate that the assassination was carried out by an individual identified as "Rasul Azarakhsh." Following the targeting of these individuals, the assailant expeditiously escaped to the Islamic Republic of Iran and sought refuge with the security forces at the Qaladze border. Meanwhile Saadi Moradpour has been taken to custody of the KRG security forces for further investigation.

It is important to note that "Rasul Azarakhsh," originally from Naghadeh, had previously been associated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran but broke ties with the organization six years ago and returned to Iran. According to reliable informed sources, he subsequently joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and recently, under the pretext of job hunting, visited the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Azarkhosh arranged a friendly meeting in a tourist area, inviting the victims who used to have friendship history and committed the assassination.

As of now, the authorities of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have refrained from issuing official statements regarding the incident. Over the past decades, the security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have repeatedly initiated and committed assassination against Iranian Kurdish political and human rights activists on the soil of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.