IRAN - Hengaw on civil solidarity

IRAN - IRGC arms civilian groups, inciting one ethnic group against another

March 7, 2026:

March 7, 2026 - IRAN. Hengaw statement on protecting civil solidarity and public security

At this critical moment, and in light of troubling reports about efforts by military institutions to sow division in cities with diverse ethnic and national populations, serious concerns have emerged that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) may seek to incite tensions between Kurds and Turks in several cities of West Azerbaijan province, where both communities live side by side. These include Miandoab, Takab, Shahin Dezh, Naqadeh, Urmia, Salmas, Khoy, Maku, Bazargan, and Showt.
According to information received by Hengaw, on March 6, 2026, the IRGC used loudspeakers across urban areas to call on residents to go to Basij and IRGC centers to arm themselves. Hengaw has also learned that, over the past two days, weapons have been distributed on a large scale in Maku, Bazargan, Chaldoran, Showt, and Poldasht to unarmed forces and Basij members.
Under international human rights law, states are obliged to protect the lives and property of all citizens without discrimination. Any effort to arm civilian groups or incite one ethnic group against another is not only a grave violation of citizens’ rights, but may also, under international law, constitute incitement to systematic violence.
Historical experience has shown that political systems on the verge of collapse often exploit identity-based divisions as a tool for survival. The deliberate creation of fear and hostility between Kurds and Turks is a dangerous scenario that risks turning the demand for freedom into internal conflict.

Hengaw Organization for Human Rights believes that:
Linguistic and cultural diversity in shared cities is not a threat, but a foundation for democracy. Defending cultural and social diversity, and strengthening solidarity, requires recognition of cultural differences on the one hand and recognition of one another’s rights within a democratic framework on the other.
Any disputes must be resolved through dialogue and democratic legal processes, not through weapons distributed by repressive institutions.
On this basis, Hengaw calls on intellectuals, civil activists, and the general public in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan to refrain from accepting weapons or participating in local paramilitary groups formed under the supervision of security institutions. It also calls for the creation of joint civil initiatives to block the influence of divisive actors. It must be remembered that the common enemy is the same structure that rules through fear and prevents society from reaching political maturity and freedom.
Hengaw emphasizes that the right to self-defense of all peoples who have faced compounded oppression since the establishment of the Islamic Republic must not be confused with security-driven projects aimed at creating internal tensions. The organization also believes that unity between Kurds and Turks is the main guarantee for a peaceful transition toward a democratic and secular society.

https://hengaw.net/en/statements/2026/03/article-1