The Death of 6 KDPI Peshmerga; The Islamic Republic Enforces Enforced Disappearance of Their Bodies

July 2, 2026; Following an ambush and subsequent clashes between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a group of Peshmerga from the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), six Peshmerga forces lost their lives. Security and government agencies have refused to return the bodies to their families, while imposing strict prohibitions on holding funeral services or receiving mourners.

An informed source confirmed the situation to Kurdpa, stating: Following the death of these Peshmerga, security organs of the Islamic Republic of Iran—without providing any information regarding the status of the bodies or returning them—explicitly warned the families that they are banned from holding mourning and memorial ceremonies, and that the public is strictly prohibited from visiting them to offer condolences.

Media outlets affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran reported on the deaths of the six Peshmerga, stating that on the evening of Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in the village of "Qazqapan" (located approximately 3 kilometers from Piranshahr), six Peshmerga belonging to the party's clandestine organizational networks lost their lives during an armed engagement with IRGC forces. The casualties were identified as Karo Hormozyari, Fardin Changizi, Mohammad Khaki, Abdullah Mohammadpour, Tawana Osmani, and Mohammad-Amin Bayazidi. The KDPI emphasized that this group of Peshmerga was ambushed by IRGC forces while undertaking political and organizational duties.

The IRGC's Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shohada Base issued an official statement accompanied by images following the deaths of five of the Peshmerga, confirming the clash and stating that the operation was carried out through "an ambush supported by heavy fire and military hardware."

The Enforced Disappearance of Kurdish Peshmerga Bodies: From Security Policy to Continuous Human Rights Violations

The enforced disappearance of the bodies of slain political dissidents and Peshmerga forces by the Islamic Republic is a long-standing, systematic policy encompassing security, political, and psychological dimensions, evaluated across three main pillars:

• Historical Precedent of Disappearing Bodies: This practice dates back to the inception of the Islamic Republic; from the mass executions of the 1980s and the early post-revolution crackdown in Kurdistan to the execution of Kurdish political prisoners in subsequent decades. In countless instances, bodies have been withheld or their burial locations kept strictly secret, resulting in unmarked individual or mass graves—such as Khavaran—or burials in remote areas where families are denied the right to hold services or erect tombstones.
   
• State Objectives and the Pattern of Suppression: This policy is enforced with specific security goals: preventing funerals from transforming into public protest rallies and symbols of collective resistance, inflicting severe psychological trauma and collective punishment on families by denying mourning rights, and maintaining an atmosphere of intimidation and absolute lack of accountability regarding the final resting places to restrict the families' path toward seeking justice.
   
• Human Rights and International Law Dimensions: Under international law, withholding bodies constitutes a form of enforced disappearance—a continuous crime that persists until the fate and final location of the deceased are fully disclosed. This practice directly violates the right to know the truth, the right to a proper burial and mourning, and is classified as psychological torture and inhumane treatment toward the families. Furthermore, preventing cultural and religious funerary rites violates fundamental freedoms outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).