Iranian Kurdish activist, cleric Masoud Nazari shot dead in Turkey

Iranian Kurdish dissident Masoud Nazari shot dead in Turkey — Iranian Kurdish political activist religious scholar Masoud Nazari shot dead in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 14, 2025. Photo: SM

ISTANBUL,— A Kurdish Iranian political activist and religious scholar known for criticizing Iran’s ruling clerics was shot and killed in Istanbul, Turkish media reported on Wednesday. Rights organizations described the attack as a political assassination.

The victim, Masoud Nazari, was attacked Tuesday evening in Istanbul’s Arnavutkoy district by an unknown gunman, according to the private DHA news agency.

The shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. GMT. Nazari was rushed to a hospital but later died from his injuries. The assailant fled the area, and authorities have opened an investigation into the incident, local media said.

Nazari, originally from Javanrud in the northwestern Kurdish province of Kermanshan in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat), was known as a prominent critic of Iran’s Shiite clerical system and its military establishment.

Rights groups Haalvsh and Hengaw, both based outside Iran, confirmed his death and described him as a well-known figure in Kurdish Sunni religious circles.

Haalvsh reported that Nazari left Iran about ten years ago due to political persecution. The organization cited an unnamed family member who said Nazari had received repeated threats from Iranian security agencies.

“The assassination of Masoud Nazari is another example of the Islamic Republic’s continued targeting of political and religious opponents abroad,” Hengaw said in a statement.

Nazari’s death adds to a series of attacks on Iranian dissidents in neighboring countries. Human rights groups say Tehran has intensified efforts to silence critics who fled the country.

Turkish authorities have not yet released details about possible suspects or motives in Nazari’s killing, which remains under investigation.

Since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, Iran’s authorities have been accused of enforcing discriminatory policies against Kurds in Iranian Kurdistan, affecting their political, social and economic standing.

According to rights organizations, Kurdish citizens continue to face restrictions on cultural expression and religious practice. Parents are not allowed to register their children under certain Kurdish names, while communities identified as Kurdish or partly Kurdish are subject to policies aimed at marginalizing them.

Kurds also encounter unequal access to employment, housing and public office, contributing to widespread poverty and social exclusion in the region.

More than 12 million Kurds live in Iranian Kurdistan, where decades of systemic discrimination have left them with limited opportunities and representation in national institutions.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)