Kurds in Brussels protest execution of Kurdish activists in Iran

Brussels, Jan. 19 (AKnews) - A group of Kurds organized Tuesday a demonstration in the Belgian capital, Brussels, to protest the execution of a Kurdish activist on charges of links with an armed Kurdish group.  About 100 people gathered outside the Iranian embassy in Brussels chanting slogans "No to executions", "Ahmadinejad is a terrorist" and "Freedom for political politicians" to protest the execution of Kurdish political prisoner Hussein Khezri. Khezri, 28, was executed on January 15 in secret on charges of acting against the national security and working with the Free Life for Kurdistan Party, or (PJAK), an armed Kurdish group fighting for the freedom of Kurds in Iran. An organizer of the demonstration Tuesday Kawe Ahangari called on the Iranian authorities to stop the "increasing" pressure on the Kurds in Iran. Kurds make up 7% of Iran's about 72 million population. Khezri is the eight Kurdish activist to be executed by the Iranian authorities since early January this year. According to the reports of international human rights organizations, the Iranian government executed last year at least 179 people. Iran ranks high on the list of the countries with frequent executions.   PJAK has promised to have a "strong response" to Khozri's execution. "Iran never hesitates to carry out ethnic cleansing against the Kurds," Sherzad Kamangar, spokesman of PJAN, told AKnews Monday "if the Iranian state is not willing to listen to our demands and refuse to choose dialogue and peaceful means, then we will respond in the language that the state understands" The Kurdish Associations Union (KAU) in France echoed the protests late Tuesday saying it will organize a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy in Paris next Friday. Reported by Roni Alasor, edited by Raber Y. Aziz RN/AKnews Wednesday, January 19th 2011 12:41 PM