Kurdish activist Maysoon Majidi fled Iran into Italy nightmare

Iranian Kurdish activist Maysoon Majidi at a court in Italy, 2024. Photo: X

ROME,— After escaping persecution in Iran and navigating the treacherous Mediterranean route, Kurdish activist Maysoon Majidi found herself facing an unexpected ordeal: a 10-month imprisonment in Italy on charges of human trafficking.

The 28-year-old activist, who fled Iran to escape repression and continue her work, shared her story with AFP, describing the hardship she faced and her hopes for freedom.

Majidi’s journey began with a December 2023 arrival in Calabria, Italy, along with nearly 80 other migrants aboard a boat from Turkey. Just one day after reaching Italian shores, authorities detained her on suspicion of aiding illegal immigration—a serious charge in Italy, punishable by up to 16 years in prison.

Despite her pleas that she was a political refugee with no ties to human smuggling, Majidi was imprisoned, largely based on initial testimonies from two fellow migrants. These accusations were later retracted, but Majidi remained behind bars until October 2024.

During her time in custody, Majidi protested her detention with multiple hunger strikes, calling attention to her situation and demanding an interpreter to communicate her innocence.

Her case has since drawn widespread support, with advocacy groups like Amnesty International, the Italian NGO Hana, and notable figures like Riace’s former mayor Domenico Lucano, now an EU Parliament member, rallying for her release.

Lucano, who has faced his own legal battles for supporting refugees, went so far as to make Majidi an honorary citizen.

Majidi’s activism traces back to her years in Iranian Kurdistan, where she studied theater and sociology. She wrote under a pseudonym to expose societal misogyny and even produced a short film about the risks Kurds face transporting goods across the Iran-Iraq border.

The NGO Hana, which tracks human rights violations in her region, confirmed her commitment to activism, which she continued while in exile in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. There, she took up journalism and organized protests following the 2022 death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian Kurd whose death in police custody sparked widespread outcry.

Threats to her safety escalated, prompting her to flee to Turkey and, ultimately, to secure passage to Italy.

Majidi’s recent release came after crucial testimonies, including one from the boat’s captain, helped establish her innocence.

She now awaits the official dismissal of her case on November 27, hoping to reunite with her brother in Germany and rebuild her life.

Italy’s crackdown on irregular migration has intensified since Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, head of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, took office.

Meloni’s government has pledged to stem migrant boat arrivals and aggressively pursue traffickers, a stance that advocacy groups argue too often sweeps up vulnerable migrants.

Riccardo Noury of Amnesty International Italia told AFP that arrests like Majidi’s may be part of an attempt to showcase Italy’s firm stance on “illegal immigration.”

For Majidi, Italy has proven to be both a place of asylum and struggle. Her story also sheds light on the hardships faced by Iran’s Kurdish minority, who suffer from systemic discrimination under Iran’s Islamic regime.

Since its establishment in 1979, Iran’s Islamic regime has enforced restrictive laws and discriminatory practices on the Kurdish population in Iranian Kurdistan, limiting their rights across social, political, and economic spheres.

Kurds in Iran face numerous barriers to fully exercising their cultural, religious, and economic rights. Authorities restrict Kurdish parents from giving their children certain Kurdish names, and policies target religious minorities, many of whom are Kurdish, creating an environment of isolation and stigmatization.

Employment opportunities, adequate housing, and political representation are also frequently out of reach for the Kurdish community, leading to persistent poverty and further deepening their marginalization.

Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat) is home to an estimated 12 million Kurds, whose rights and access to basic opportunities remain severely constrained under these systemic policies.

Despite these struggles, Majidi remains hopeful, focused now on her pending case dismissal and the new beginning that awaits her in Germany. Her ordeal stands as a testament to the risks many activists face when they seek freedom in lands that promise sanctuary but bring unforeseen challenges.

Earlier this month, Verisheh Moradi, a Kurdish political activist from Iranian Kurdistan, was sentenced to death by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)