Aria Salehi: I was only 15 years old when I joined this party, clearly underage
According to the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch in Sardasht, one of the recruitment platforms for Kurdish armed parties is cyberspace. This platform is attractive to these parties because: firstly, it is accessible to a large segment of young people and teenagers; secondly, tracking supporters of these parties is not easily possible, and they cannot be held accountable for deceiving young people and supporting armed actions; and thirdly, through cyberspace, Instagram, and Telegram, a false attraction can be created for these parties in the form of appealing images, while the reality of these parties is quite different. Aria Salehi, born on August 15, 2008, decided to run away from home and join the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) on April 3, 2024, after an argument with his sister and father. He is one of the victims of this party and its activities on Instagram.
Mr. Salehi, before the argument with his family and leaving home, had been following pages related to the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) on Instagram, which led him to send a message to one of the party members and request membership. After contacting that party member, that person (the party member), upon learning of Aria’s conflict with his father, stated that by joining the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), he would achieve personal freedom and receive sufficient compensation, and would no longer need his family. Despite being a ninth-grade student, Aria, after this decision, dropped out of school and joined the party. However, upon entering the base, he realized that all those promises were false and requested to return, which was met with opposition. His insistence became so intense that one of the commanders, named Sasan Boukani, assaulted Aria, resulting in a broken nose. After six months of membership and participation in grueling ideological and military classes and meager food, due to his family’s pursuit and his relentless insistence, Aria finally managed to leave the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) headquarters and return to Iran.
Mr. Salehi! Please explain what factors led you to decide to leave home? Why did you, as a ninth-grade student, drop out of school and join an armed party? Did you have any knowledge of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI)? Did you have any specific problems at home?
Aria: At that time, I was going through adolescence and naturally faced numerous emotional and psychological changes. One day, a disagreement arose between me and my younger sister, which, due to my age and inexperience, escalated into an argument between us. My father, who was upset by this disagreement, treated me harshly. This treatment led to a quarrel, and ultimately, I decided to leave home. That’s it! A simple family quarrel between two children, and of course, my father’s intervention, led me to make this wrong decision. Of course, at that moment, I thought this action demonstrated my independence and maturity, but now I know it was a very immature and hasty decision. I really had no knowledge of these parties. I was an ordinary student and really didn’t have any specific problems at home. I simply made a decision out of anger and caused great harm to my life and my family.
After leaving home, how did you decide to join an armed party? Were you familiar with these parties beforehand?
Aria: Yes, in fact, I had previously followed pages belonging to the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in cyberspace, especially on Instagram. These pages usually published messages that seemed very appealing to a teenager like me. They claimed that by joining this party, I could achieve personal freedom and also enjoy significant financial benefits. These claims were very attractive to me, who was dealing with family problems at the time. Therefore, I decided to contact one of the members of this party and request membership. After learning of my conflict with my father, they stated that by joining this party, I would no longer need my family and encouraged me to join.
When you entered the party’s base, what were the conditions like? Did reality match what you had heard before?
Aria: No, not at all. When I entered the base, I realized that all the promises and claims I had heard before were lies. The living conditions there were very difficult and unbearable. There was not enough food, the accommodation was messy and dirty, and there was not even a proper resting place for people. In addition, I had to attend ideological and military classes that were very grueling and tiring. The political classes were not only repetitive but also not understandable or interesting to me. These conditions made me very regretful, and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. But unfortunately, I was not allowed to leave. I was practically imprisoned and had no choice.
During this time, did you make any attempts to escape or contact your family?
Aria: Yes, I was constantly trying to return. But these attempts were met with strong resistance. I was constantly begging, but I could not get the party leaders’ consent to leave the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) headquarters! Finally, one of the commanders of this party, named Sasan Boukani, after my repeated insistence on leaving, attacked me and beat me. This attack resulted in a broken nose, and my physical and mental condition became very critical. However, I never gave up trying to return. My family was also very persistent, and finally, after six months, they allowed me to leave and return to Iran. I had finally managed to escape from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) prison!
Can you explain about your age and the ages of other people in that party? Were there other people who, like you, were underage?
Aria: Yes, this is very important. I was only 15 years old when I joined this party, which is clearly underage. Unfortunately, I was not alone. There were many other people in that base who, like me, were underage. Some of them were even younger than me and were actually children. These people, like me, had been influenced by the false promises of this party and had decided to join this party in the hope of gaining freedom and income. But when we entered the base, we realized that they were all lies and that we had actually been captured. This was very shocking to me because I didn’t think that armed parties would exploit underage people in this way. Especially while they claimed to defend the Kurds and constantly talked about Kurdish rights and Kurdish history in political classes. They were exploiting Kurdish children and teenagers.
What is your current employment status? Did you continue your education after returning?
Aria: No, unfortunately, after leaving home and joining this party, it was no longer possible for me to continue my education. After returning, I decided to look for a job so that I could return to normal life. For this reason, I started an apprenticeship in the field of hairdressing. This job is very appealing to me, and I hope that I can succeed in this field in the future and build a better life for myself.
