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Hiwa Life at LSE: Urban Space, State Violence, and Kurdish Resistance

Soran Mansournia, Co-Founder of Hiwa Life, presenting at the Kurdish Studies Conference at the London School of Economics.

Hiwa Life participated in the Kurdish Studies Conference at the London School of Economics, where Soran Mansournia, Co-Founder of Hiwa Life, presented a paper examining the relationship between urban planning, spatial politics, and state violence in Rojhalat (Kurdistan Region of Iran).

Soran’s talk, titled Spatial Politics in Kurdistan: How Urban Geography is Weaponised Against Kurds in Iran, was part of the panel Politics from the Margins in Iran. The panel also featured Rojîn Mûkrîyan from University College Cork, Armin Messager from Sciences Po Paris, and Yunus Abakay from the University of Exeter.

Focusing on the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, Kurdish New Year demonstrations, and Bloody November, Soran discussed Sine/Sanandaj, in Rojhalat, as a case study. His presentation explored how urban plans and public spaces are shaped through a security-oriented perspective, and how state institutions, including the IRGC, intervene in urban planning processes to monitor, control, and suppress demonstrations.

Through this analysis, Soran highlighted the political role of urban space in contexts of repression, showing how streets, squares, neighbourhoods, and everyday infrastructures can become central sites of both state control and collective resistance.

Hiwa Life representatives and conference participants at the Kurdish Studies Conference at the London School of Economics.
Kurdish Studies Conference at LSE
Kurdish Studies Conference at LSE
Kurdish Studies Conference at LSE
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Sardar Pashaei

Founder & Head of Athletes

Sardar Pashaei is a Kurdish activist, former world wrestling champion, and a relentless advocate for justice. At just five years old, he experienced oppression firsthand, visiting his imprisoned father every Thursday.


Banned from competing internationally due to his political family background, he eventually fled Iran and became a U.S. citizen. He has dedicated his time and voice to supporting the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, working with U.S. Congress, the European Parliament, and international organizations to raise awareness about the Iranian people’s struggle.


His activism has come at a personal cost—his younger brother and sister have both been arrested and tortured in Iran. Today, he leads Justice & Freedom for Iran, bringing together survivors, activists, and athletes to work toward a democratic and secular Iran.