Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan

Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan Hîzbî Dêmokiratî Kurdistanî Êran حیزبی دێمۆکراتی کوردستانی ئێران
Founded	August 16, 1945
Headquarters	Iranian Kurdistan
Ideology	Kurdish nationalism, social democracy, democratic socialism
International affiliation	Socialist International UNPO
Website
www.pdki.org

The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (Kurdish: Partî Dêmokiratî Kurdistanî Êran), abbreviated as PDKI, KDPI, PDKI, is a Kurdish political party in Iranian Kurdistan which seeks the attainment of Kurdish national rights within a democratic federal republic of Iran.

Historical background

PDKI (also known as KDPI, KDP-I and DPIK) was founded in Mahabad, Iranian Kurdistan, on 16 August 1945. Just 159 days after its foundation, on 22 January 1946, the Party, availing itself of expedient circumstances in a section of Iranian Kurdistan, established the "Republic of Kurdistan", also referred to by historians as the "Republic of Mahabad ", the reason being its choice of Mahabad as the capital. The “Republic of Kurdistan" lasted not more than 11 months; following a pact signed by the Iranian central government and the Soviet Union, the Iranian army launched a vast offensive into the region, destroying the "Republic" on December 17, 1946. The "Republic" having collapsed, a great number of PDKI leaders were imprisoned, of whom about 20 people including Ghazi Mohammad, head of the Party and President of the short-lived Republic were executed. The Kurdish people in Iranian Kurdistan and PDKI played an active part in the Iranian people's uprising against the Shah's dictatorship. The uprising of the Iranian peoples having succeeded, PDKI declared its overt activities in 1979 in a public meeting held in Mahabad. PDKI has held fourteen Congresses (Conventions) to this date. The 1st congress was convened in 1945, the 2nd in 1964, the 3rd in 1971, the 4th in 1980, the 5th in 1982, the 6th in 1984, the 7th in 1985, the 8th in 1988, the 9th in 1992, the 10th in 1995, the 11th in 1997, the 12th in 2000, the 13th in 2004, and the 14th and the last congress was held in September 2008. The highest body of PDKI is its Central Committee elected in PDKI’s Congress. The Central Committee also elects an executive body best known as the Political Bureau, which also includes the General Secretary. The Central Committee also elects the Party’s General Secretary. The General Secretary of the Party is currently Mustafa Hijri and he remains in this position till the next Party convention which will be held in 2012.

Mykonos Restaurant Assassinations

Dr. Sadeq Sharafkandi's killing became an international incident between Germany & Iran. On September 17, 1992, Iranian-Kurdish insurgent leaders Sadegh Sharafkandi, Fattah Abdoli, Homayoun Ardalan and their translator Nouri Dehkordi were assassinated at the Mykonos Greek restaurant in Berlin, Germany. In the Mykonos trial, the courts found Kazem Darabi, an Iranian national who worked as a grocer in Berlin, and Lebanese Abbas Rhayel, guilty of murder and sentenced them to life in prison. Two other Lebanese, Youssef Amin and Mohamed Atris, were convicted of being accessories to murder. In its 10 April 1997 ruling, the court issued an international arrest warrant for Iranian intelligence minister Hojjat al-Islam Ali Fallahian after declaring that the assassination had been ordered by him with knowledge of supreme leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and president Ayatollah Rafsanjani

PDKI Congresses

The PDKI has held fourteen congresses. These occurred in 1945, 1964, 1971, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2004 and September 2008.

During the 20th Congress of the Socialist International, held in the UN headquarters in New York (9–11 September 1996), the PDKI was given the status of observer member. In 2005, the PDKI's membership was elevated to consultative status.

The highest body of the PDKI is its Central Committee, which is usually composed of 21 permanent and 10 substitute members. The Central Committee also elects about 7 of its members as the Political Bureau, which also includes the Secretary-General.

Secretary Generals

• Qazi Muhammad (1945–1947)
• Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou (1973–1989)
• Sadegh Sharafkandi (1989–1992)

Main Principles

-PDKI struggles to safeguard Iran’s independence, and establish a democratic government in Iran to obtain the rights of the Kurdish people in Iranian Kurdistan to self-determination -“The attainment of Kurdish national rights within a democratic federal republic of Iran” is PDKI’s strategic objective -PDKI rejects all acts of terrorism -PDKI believes in the separation of state and religion -PDKI adheres to all the international human rights and humanitarian law, including but not limited to, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

PDKI has political presence in Europe, North America and Australia where PDKI chapters and representatives are in regular contact with government officials, NGOs and humanitarian organizations. PDKI is a consultive member of the Socialist International (SI). The SI is the worldwide organisation of social democratic, socialist and labour parties. It currently brings together 162 political parties and organisations from all continents. PDKI is also a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Oraganization (UNPO). UNPO is an international, nonviolent, and democratic membership organisation. Its members are indigenous peoples, minorities, and unrecognised or occupied territories who have joined together to protect and promote their human and cultural rights, to preserve their environments, and to find nonviolent solutions to conflicts which affect them. PDKI, is also a founding member of Congress of Nationalities for federal Iran (CNFI). CNFI believes that a federalist system of government in Iran on the basis of nationality and geography is the only political mechanism that is enduring, and allows all Iranian nationalities to realize their aspirations and exercise self rule in the framework of a free, united and democratic Iran. CNFI has currently 17 constituent member organizations of all nationalities including Turks, Kurds, Baluchis, Arabs, Turkmens. PDKI is also a signatory to the Geneva Call, an impartial humanitarian organization founded in 2000 and dedicated to engaging of non-state actors towards compliance with laws of war and norms, consistent with common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. Committed to its principles of non-violence, democracy, freedom and self-determination, PDKI has been declared a banned Party in Iran by the regime of Islamic Republic of Iran; therefore, PDKI’s headquarters, leadership and cadres are currently stationed in Iraqi Kurdistan. The International Relations Bureau of the Party is located in France (Paris); the foreign relations representatives are in regular contact with political and diplomatic cores.

PDKI a prime target for Iranian regime’s state terrorism

Following the death of the regime’s founder, Ayatollah Khomeini (1989) the Islamic regime in Iran under then the President Hashemi Rafsanjani expressed readiness to talk with the leadership of the Kurdish movement about a political solution to the Kurdish question. To this end, Rafsanjani agreed to hold talks with the PDKI leadership in Austria. Unaware of the ill-intentions of the Iranian regime, the PDKI delegation went to negotiate with the regime’s delegates. On 13 July 1989 in Vienna, the official representative of the Islamic government murdered then the General Secretary, Abdul-Rahman Ghassemlou and his aides, Abdullah Ghaderi-Azar, the PDKI representative abroad and Fadil Rasoul, the inter-mediatory and an Iraqi Kurd at the negotiating table. The perpetrators had Iranian diplomatic passes and had come to Vienna as “negotiating partners.” According to an Iranian journalist who fled to abroad in May 2005, and who then was known as “Witness D,” the current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was also a member of the “assassination team”. Further revelations made by the Austrian MP Peter Pilz (2009) also indicated that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been responsible for gathering and preparing the weapons used and had been a member of the execution team. All statements made up to then by “Witness D” allegedly correspond with secret files of the Austrian Interior Ministry and the Anti-Terrorism Unit EBT. On 17 September 1992 the new General Secretary of the PDKI, Dr. Sadegh Sharafkandi, the new foreign representative, the Germany representative of the PDKI and another activist of the Iranian opposition fell victim to the second terror attack by another Iranian killing squad in Berlin. The Berlin Court of Appeals, in its judgment on 10 April 1997, made it clear that it considered the Iranian state and its highest officials responsible for this quadruple political murder.

The Islamic Republic’s policies vis-à-vis the Kurdish people

It is generally known that Ayatollah Khomeini, soon after taking power on 17 August 1979, declared a “holy war” against the Kurdish people in Iran resulting in the death of more than ten thousand defenseless Kurds thus far. The regime of Islamic Republic continues to deny the independent identity of the Kurdish people, saying that all Muslims are equal. The regime continues to reject strongly the recognition of even the minimal political rights for the Kurdish people. All Kurdish political parties are banned. Membership in Kurdish parties, even expressions of sympathy for them, is punishable by years in prison, torture if not execution. Through the ongoing ban against the Kurdish language, the fundamental right to education in one’s mother tongue is denied to Kurdish children. This discrimination against the Kurdish people is “legitimized” by the constitution, which declares that millions of Iranians are second class citizens because of their religious beliefs, prohibiting Sunni Muslims, Christians, Jews, Bahai and Yarsans from being vetted to key posts and hold important governmental positions. Kurds are not permitted to pursue projects or investments above a certain percentage in the industrially neglected military zones of the Kurdish areas. A Kurd may only take on such projects outside Kurdish territories. Furthermore, there are reports that despite the competency of local Kurdish investors in major industries such as natural resources, licenses to operate these industries have been awarded to non-local investors and companies. As a result of the oppressive and underdevelopment policy of the regime Islamic Republic in Kurdistan, there has been a dramatic increase in unemployment, massive exodus, smuggling, drug dealing, drug abuse and suicide – despite the fact that Kurdistan is a very fertile land, rich in mineral and natural resources. Drugs are easier to obtain than cigarettes, particularly in schools. Despite the Iranian regime’s assertion that its forces battle drug-dealers, there are credible reports that certain powerful elements tied to the highest regime leadership are involved in illicit drug dealing inside and outside the country. This atrocious policy of illicit drug distribution is particularly in place in Kurdish areas in order to distract the Kurdish population from political activism and keep the youth in check.

External links

• The PDKI Homepage
• The PDKI English Language Homepage