Continuous Threats Against Saeid Moradpour, Political Activist and Survivor of a Republic of Iran Assassination in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
October 18, 2025; Saeid (Sadi) Moradpour, a 28-year-old political and environmental activist residing in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, who survived an assassination operation by the Islamic Republic of Iran against members of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) on July 7, 2023, remains under constant pressure and threats from the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) along with his family after more than two and a half years. According to him, the ultimate goal of these threats is that he "should not remain alive as a survivor of this incident."
Mr. Moradpour, in an interview with Kurdpa, pointed to the continuous threats by the IRGC Intelligence Organization against himself and his family, who reside in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, stating:
"Myself and my family, including my father and brother, are repeatedly summoned, interrogated, and threatened in Iran by the Piranshahr IRGC Intelligence Organization. They have also confiscated their passports to force them to reveal my place of residence. These pressures have never stopped, and so far, my family is summoned once every two weeks. Additionally, I receive threatening messages through unknown numbers and social media accounts, warning that as a witness to the assassination, I should not stay alive."
As a survivor and a primary witness to the assassination operation by the Islamic Republic, he managed to report the incident to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and the relatives of the victims. However, due to his presence at the scene of the assassination and under pressure and threats from the Islamic Republic's security agencies within the Kurdistan Region, he was detained. He was held and interrogated for nine months in Sulaymaniyah Province by the Kurdistan Region security forces (Asayish) and was eventually released after his innocence was proven. He says:
"All the pressures and threats against me and my family began from the point where, during my detention, despite the efforts of the Islamic Republic's security agencies to accuse me of being the 'assassin,' the Sulaymaniyah court confirmed my innocence. After my release, the pressure on me and my family intensified, and their main goal has been to identify my exact place of residence and ultimately, as they have threatened, to ensure I do not stay alive."
Two and a half years after the incident, Saeid Moradpour, who had sought asylum in Turkey to protect his life after being released from the Kurdistan Region's detention center, was forced to return to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq after a one-year stay in a refugee camp due to the failure to transfer to a third country and fear of being deported to Iran. However, the pressure and threats against him continue. His family is still summoned to the Piranshahr IRGC Intelligence Organization every two weeks, and he himself lives with extreme caution and limitations in the Kurdistan Region. According to him, he does not even have the possibility of free movement within the Region and avoids traveling to other cities due to fear of prosecution and security threats.
Kurpa cannot disclose the name of the city where Mr. Moradpour resides in the Kurdistan Region, his range of movement, or the details of the imposed restrictions and the responsible institutions, for the sake of his life's security.
Regarding the assassination of the two members of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, this political activist narrates:
"On July 7, 2023, I went to the 'Helsho' area in the city of Qaladze for a friendly trip with several members and supporters of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. At the intended location, two of my friends were targeted in an armed attack and assassinated. I immediately hid among the rocks to save my life, and while escaping, I fell and was injured due to hitting barbed wire, but I managed to survive the attack. Afterward, I was detained by the Sulaymaniyah security forces (Asayish) and interrogated for three months in solitary confinement without the right to phone calls or visits. Subsequently, after nine months and the proof of my innocence, I was released by court order, on the condition that I do not speak about this matter to any media and overlook its follow-up, as I was the only living witness to the incident. After release, I left the Kurdistan Region and went to Turkey, where I stayed in a refugee camp for a year, hoping to be transferred to a European country for my life's security."
Moradpour explains the reasons for his release:
"The main perpetrator of the assassination was an individual named 'Rasoul Azarakhsh.' All evidence and documents confirm this. 'Azarakhsh' fled to Iran immediately after the assassination operation. There was no evidence against me and my innocence was proven. Nevertheless, the case of this assassination has not yet reached a conclusion in the Sulaymaniyah court, as they have stated the main perpetrator fled to Iran and is out of their reach."
Saeid (Sadi) Moradpour was born on September 28, 1997, in Mahabad. He left Iran on April 2, 2016. Before leaving the country, he was serving his mandatory military service but abandoned the service after refusing to continue and left Iran after a while. Since then, he has been active as a political activist in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Islamic Republic Assassination Operation in "Helsho," Qaladze (July 7, 2023):
At noon on Friday, July 7, 2023, two members of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan named "Loghman Aji" and "Adel (Sarbaz) Mohajer" were assassinated in the "Helsho" area of Qaladze in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq by agents affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to reports, before this attack occurred, both victims had been threatened with death by unknown individuals calling them from inside Iran. In these calls, their families in Iran were also threatened.
The main perpetrator of this assassination was identified as "Rasoul Azarakhsh," from the "Gergool" area of Naghadeh county. He was previously a member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan but joined the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guard Corps after returning to Iran, and returned to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq some time later. He managed to be present in the Kurdistan Region through extensive efforts to show renewed loyalty to the Democratic Party and by obtaining a membership card.
Within three weeks, "Rasoul Azarakhsh" had invited the victims twice to the "Helsho" recreational area. On the day of the incident, he left and returned several times on the pretext of preparing food. Finally, at 12:40 PM that day, he opened fire on his guests with a firearm. Following this attack, Mr. "Loghman Aji" and Mr. "Adel Mohajer" were killed, and the third person, "Saeid Moradpour," managed to escape the scene despite being injured while fleeing by hitting rocks and barbed wire, and reported the matter to the KRG authorities, the PDKI, and the relatives of the victims.
The attacker fled the scene immediately after the operation and surrendered himself to the Islamic Republic of Iran's security forces through the border areas.
The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan held the Islamic Republic directly responsible for this attack and described it as a "pre-planned plot." In contrast, the Kurdistan Regional Government detained and interrogated one of the survivors of the attack, Mr. "Saeid Moradpour."
However, the Iranian government showed no official reaction to this event. The official newspaper "Iran," affiliated with the government of the Islamic Republic, described this murder in a report as resulting from "internal disputes within the Democratic Party." Meanwhile, the main perpetrator of the assassination, "Rasoul Azarakhsh," took refuge in Iran after the operation and was hidden by Islamic Republic institutions. He resides in an unknown location in one of the cities in Iran, and even his relatives are unaware of his exact location.
Despite the Sulaymaniyah court in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq declaring "Rasoul Azarakhsh" as the main suspect and the case remains open, the Islamic Republic's institutions have not only failed to cooperate in this regard but have also sheltered this individual with complete silence, keeping him immune from judicial prosecution.
