IRGC kills two Kurdish activists in Kermanshah, say rights groups

What happened

Two Kurdish activists who went into hiding after anti-government protests in January have been killed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the western province of Kermanshah, according to reports by the Norway-based Hengaw rights group and the France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network.

The central claim remains unconfirmed in the supplied material and should be treated as hearsay until corroborated by another reliable source or a named official. The activists, Meisam Visi and Mojtaba Visi, adherents of the Yarsan faith, were shot dead in a village in the Dalahu district on Thursday after IRGC forces surrounded their hideout. Hengaw said the IRGC opened fire without warning, while the Kurdistan Human Rights Network said the men had hidden due to fear of arrest.

Iranian state-linked Tasnim news agency offered a contrasting account, describing the two as armed "instigators" of January’s regional unrest who opened fire on security forces first. Tasnim said security forces returned fire in self-defence, resulting in the activists’ deaths.

Known from the source

• Two Kurdish men, Meisam and Mojtaba Visi, were killed in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah on Thursday.
• Both men had been in hiding since the January anti-government protests.
• The killings were carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
• The men adhered to the Yarsan faith.
• Iranian state media describes them as armed and linked to instigating unrest.

What remains unclear

The Yarsan faith, to which the men belonged, is a syncretic religion dating back to the 15th century, with a significant Kurdish following. The incident underscores the fraught security environment in Kurdish regions of Iran after recent protests and the ongoing risk to activists and minority communities.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Verification of the circumstances leading to the shooting, including whether the men were armed and whether they fired first. Independent confirmation of the identities and affiliations of the men killed. Corroboration of rights groups’ claims regarding the men’s hiding and the timing of the incident.

Evidence note

This story contains report-led claims. The article keeps those claims attributed and treats them as unconfirmed/hearsay unless independently corroborated.

Original source: Middle East Eye. Open the source.