Life came to a standstill in several Kurdish cities in Iran's Kurditsan and other provinces as businesses and shops went on strike on Thursday, May 13th, to protest against the execution of four Kurdish prisoners – Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heidarian, Farhad Vakili, and Shirin Alam Holi – on the morning of May 9, 2010. Several human rights organizations accused Iran of torturing dissidents to confess their involvement with terrorist organisations.

While Iran-based media did not report any news from Kurdistan, Kurdish citizens provided information as they took photographs and videos from shutdown cities.

Here is Sanandaj, the center of Iran's Kuridstan, filmed on Thursday:

Saman Rasoulpour has published several photos from Sanandaj on the day of the strike:

And here we can watch shops closed in Mehabad, another Kurdish city.

Havayeh Tazeh writes [fa] saying:

The strike has paralysed cities in Kurdistan. Another 12 Kurdish prisoners may face execution soon. They do not have any access to lawyers and their only hope is us.

Dulatmeli adds that Thursday marked another day of bravery in Kurdish history.