MedyaNews Daily Review: The brutal attack by Iranian security forces on the Kurdish city of Sanandaj in the last few days is 'a crime against humanity' says Hengaw, world-wide Free Öcalan rallies, Turkish Ambassador hints MİT assassinated Nagihan Akarsel.

Listen our Daily Review: Erdoğan 'violates legal principles of equality' by pardoning prisoners, Iraq to investigate Turkish and Iranian attacks in northern Kurdish region of Iraq, hundreds gathered in Sulaymaniyah to mourn murdered scholar Nagihan Akarsel.

The 9th of October is the 24th anniversary of Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) being driven from Syria under Turkish and international pressure, beginning the process which led to his eventual capture in Kenya with the collaboration of international intelligence agencies.

The situation of the imprisoned Kurdish political figurehead was also on the news this week as a delegation of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out an ad hoc, unannounced visit to Turkey’s İmralı island where Öcalan is being held.

Hundreds of lawyers also recently launched a petition demanding an end to the ban on Öcalan’s communications with the outside world, asserting his ‘right to hope’ against the claims of the Turkish government’s lawyers who say that the Kurdish leader is exempt from any right to expect amelioration of his sentence.

At times it is hard to keep up with the fast-moving developments in the Kurdish issue, and particularly in the last three weeks this has been especially true, with Kurds in Iran taking part in general strikes, taking to the streets and in some places taking control of towns in uprisings sparked by the brutal killing of a young 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Jina Amini, by the so-called ‘morality police’ of the Iranian regime.

In fact women all over Iran, with the support of men, have poured onto the streets, ripping off their headscarves in rage and protest against the ‘compulsory hijab’ laws, with the chant, ‘Jin, Jîyan, Azadî’ ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ in what has become the biggest challenge to the Iranian regime since the Iranian revolution of 1978/79, its outcome still unknown at this point, still being played out on the streets of Iran and East Kurdistan (Rojhilat/NW Iran) as you read this.

In Sur district of Diyarbakır, grieving Kurdish families are protesting against a festival organised by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, saying it is inappropriate to hold a festival in a place where they have experienced such great suffering.


The murder of Kurdish feminist activist Nagihan Akarsel has received global condemnation, most recently from Reporters Without Borders who have called for local authorities to investigate the murder and bring those responsible to trial.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the Swedish Ambassador to discuss Turkey’s extradition demands, as well as to answer for a recent Swedish satirical comedy sketch about Turkish President Erdoğan.

Listen our Daily Review: Watch the late Nagihan Akarsel speak on her life work as a Kurdish feminist and academic, MEPs voice support for Iranian protesters, Brazil's left-wing Lula comes out ahead but presidency to be decided in run-off election.

Nagihan Akarsel, a prominent Kurdish academic known both for her scholarly work and her activism promoting women’s rights, was killed in an armed attack on Tuesday in Iraqi Kurdistan.


After two explosions on Monday, which occurred around the police station of Hakkari in Turkey’s south east, the police have conducted a raid and detained a large number of people.

In other news, the Syrian foreign minister has accused Turkey of cutting off Syria’s water supply exacerbating the cholera crisis.

Learn more in our Daily Review.

A delegation of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture, CPT, has carried out an ad hoc visit to Turkey, including visiting the island of İmralı where Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held prisoner since 1999.


Barham Salih, the president of Iraq has expressed his criticisms of both Turkey and Iran for their on-going cross-border attacks into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, calling them “unacceptable.”

A satirical show on Sweden’s state-run broadcaster has invited a Kurdish comedian to share his material on the Turkish president.

Learn more in our Daily Review.

Listen our Daily Review: On Saturday a general strike was held in the Kurdistan Region of Iran following Iranian attacks on Kurdish communities in Iraqi Kurdistan, Human Rights Organisation Afrin- Report, Kurdish music group honours Amini Jin Jiyan Azadi.

Listen our Daily Review: Kurdish issues were on the agenda for the UK Labour Party's conference, Iranian attacks continue in Iraqi Kurdistan with at least nine dead, American feminist activist and Kurdish ally Meredith Tax dies aged 80, plus more.