An Iranian Kurdish opposition leader in the Kurdistan Region has warned Tehran not to use force against peaceful protesters in Iranian Kurdistan cities.

Deputy leader of the Iranian Kurdistan Freedom Party (KFP) expressed concerns about the situation in Kurdish areas and urged demonstrations to continue until justice is done, and the Iranian army officer who caused the death of a Kurdish woman is punished.

Hussein Yazdanpana told BasNews, “There is unrest in Kurdish cities between the Kurdish people and Iranian authorities. Kurdish people want justice for the death an innocent woman who committed suicide to escape rape, allegedly at the hands of a government official.

“From the Kurdish perspective in Iran, any insult to an individual is considered an attack on all Kurdish people. Therefore, authorities in the region are targeting any gathering arranged by our people for justice.”

He continued, “The Iranian military forces currently mobilised in Kurdish cities are mostly brought from different areas of Asfahan and Hamadan to prevent our people asking for justice in the wake of the death of the Kurdish woman.”

“The spark of the demonstration originated in Mahabad and expanded to Marivan, Shino and Buka. This will continue and we have urged our people to demonstrate peacefully in order to attract as many people as possible until their voices are heard and justice is done.”

The Kurdish opposition leader revealed, “An Iranian army vehicle was attacked on the main road between Urmia and Shino, this indicates that armed clashes are happening outside the cities.”

“At the moment, our Peshmerga forces are not intending to get involved in any armed conflict unless we’re forced to. Instead we prefer to stand by our people and help them arrange peaceful demonstrations.”

Yazdanpana concluded, “Our Peshmerga are currently stationed outside the city of Mahabad and ready to engage if the Iranian army attempt to enter the city to disrupt the peaceful protest.”

On Thursday in Mahabad, a Kurdish city in north eastern Iran, protesters torched a hotel in the city center. They were demonstrating about the case of Kurdish woman Farinaz Khosrawani who they claim killed herself after a government official tried to rape her. She threw herself from a hotel balcony to escape him, and the incident triggered widespread protests across Iranian Kurdish cities.

Report and photo of Iranian security forces attacking protesters in Mahabad from Bas News (Iraqi Kurdistan): http://www.basnews.com/en/news/2015/05/09/kurdish-opposition-leader-if-i...