The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI; ku, حیزبی دێموکراتی کوردستانی ئێران, Hîzbî Dêmukratî Kurdistanî Êran, HDKA; fa, حزب دموکرات کردستان ایران, Ḥezb-e Demokrāt-e Kordestān-e Īrān), also known as the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), is an armed leftist
ethnic party
An ethnic party is a political party that overtly presents itself as the champion of one ethnic group or sets of ethnic groups. Ethnic parties make such representation central to their voter mobilization strategy. An alternate designation is 'Pol ...
of
Kurds in Iran, exiled in northern
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
.
It is banned in Iran and thus not able to operate openly.
The group calls for
self-determination of Kurdish people
and has been described as seeking either
separatism or
autonomy within a
federal
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to:
Politics
General
*Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies
*Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
system.
Since 1979, KDPI has waged a persistent guerrilla war against the
Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, نظام جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Neẓām-e jomhūrī-e eslāmi-e Irān, known simply as ''Neẓām'' ( fa, نظام, lit=the system) among its supporters) is the ruling state a ...
.
This included the
1979–1983 Kurdish insurgency, its
1989–1996 insurgency and
recent clashes in 2016.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
officials have called the party a
terrorist organization
A number of national governments and two international organizations have created lists of organizations that they designate as terrorist. The following list of designated terrorist groups lists groups designated as terrorist by current and fo ...
.
Hyeran Jo of
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
classifies KDPI as "compliant rebels", i.e. rebels that kill fewer than 100 and refrain from killing for more than half of their operating years. According to Jo, in order to gain domestic and international legitimacy, the KDPI denounces violence against civilians, claiming commitment to the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, ...
and
Geneva Convention Article 3, and as of 2007 is one of the signatories to the
Geneva Call
Geneva Call is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. It is currently focusing its efforts on banning the use of anti-personnel mines, protecting children from the effects of armed conflict, prohibiting sexual violence in ar ...
's ban on anti-personnel mines.
History
Early years
Qazi Muhammad
Qazi Muhammad ( ku, قازی محەممەد / Qazî Mihemed, fa, قاضی محمد; 1 May 1893 – 31 March 1947) was an Kurdish leader who founded the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and headed the short-lived, Soviet-backed Republic of ...
founded the PDKI in
Mahabad
Mahabad ( fa, مهاباد, ku, مەهاباد, translit=Mehabad), also Romanized as Mihābād and Muhābād and formerly known as Savojbolagh, is a city and capital of Mahabad County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, on 16 August 1945.
On 22 January 1946, Qazi Muhammad declared a Kurdish
Republic of Kurdistan, of which he formally became president. The Republic lasted less than a year: after the USSR retreated from the area, the Imperial Iranian army first reclaimed Iranian Azerbaijan, followed by Mahabad on 15 December 1946.
After the fall of the Republic, many of the PDKI leaders were arrested and executed, effectively ending the party.
Against the Shah
The PDKI cooperated with the
Tudeh
The Tudeh Party of Iran ( fa-at, حزب تودۀ ایران, Ḥezb-e Tūde-ye Īrān, lit=Party of the Masses of Iran) is an Iranian communist party. Formed in 1941, with Soleiman Mirza Eskandari as its head, it had considerable influence in i ...
party and saw a short revival under the anti-
Shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
administration of
Mohammad Mosaddegh
Mohammad Mosaddegh ( fa, محمد مصدق, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 35th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, after appointment by the 16th Majlis. He was a member of ...
(1951–53), but this ended after Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi took full control again in the
1953 Iranian coup d'état
The 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup d'état ( fa, کودتای ۲۸ مرداد), was the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in favor of strengthening the monarchical rule of ...
. In 1958, the PDKI was on the verge of unifying with the Iraqi
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), but was then dismantled by the
SAVAK secret police. The remains of the PDKI continued to support the KDP, but this changed as the Shah started aiding the KDP, which fought against the Iraqi regime that had overthrown the royal
Hashemite dynasty
The Hashemites ( ar, الهاشميون, al-Hāshimīyūn), also House of Hashim, are the royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Hejaz (1916–1925), Syria (1920), and Iraq (19 ...
. In return for the Shah's aid, the KDP decreased its support for the PDKI.
The PDKI reorganised itself, marginalising its pro-KDP leader Abd-Allah Ishaqi (also known as Ahmad Tawfiq), adding new communist and nationalist members, and forming the Revolutionary Committee to continue the struggle against the Iranian regime. The Committee began an unsuccessful
revolution in March 1967, ending after 18 months.
After reforms by a new leader,
Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou
Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou ( ku, عهبدولڕهحمان قاسملوو, translit=Ebdulrehman Qasimlû; fa, عبدالرحمان قاسملو; 22 December 1930 – 13 July 1989) was an Iranian Kurdish politician and leader. Ghassemlou was t ...
, the PDKI fought alongside Islamic and Marxist movements against the Shah, culminating in the 1979
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...
.
Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
's new Islamic Republic, however, refused the Kurdish demands, suppressing the PDKI and other Kurdish parties. The PDKI continued its activities in exile, hoping to achieve "Kurdish national rights within a democratic federal republic of Iran".
Against the Islamic Republic
In January 1981, Iraq supported the party in the Iranian cities of
Nowdesheh and
Qasr-e Shirin
Qasr-e Shirin ( fa, قصرشيرين; also Romanized as Qaşr-e Shīrīn and Qasr-ī-Shīrīn; also known as Ghasr-ī-shīrīn and Ghasr-shīrīn, Kurdish: قەسری شیرین) is a city and capital of Qasr-e Shirin County, Kermanshah Province, ...
and provided weapons supplies to the PKDI.
This move was made so as the party stops Tehran from using the Tehran-Baghdad highway. The PKDI hoped as well to establish a level of autonomy in the area. However, the Iranian forces staged a series of debilitating attacks against the KDPI, leaving them a "marginal military factor during much of the
Iran-Iraq War".
In 1997, the party's call for abstaining the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
remained largely ignored by Kurdish citizens in Iran and amid a high turnout in
Kurdistan Province, a large number voted for
Mohammad Khatami.
In 2016, the organization announced it was reviving its armed struggle following death of Farinaz Khosravani and subsequent
Mahabad riots.
[Return to Arms: Hadaka]
26 Apr 2017. ''Al Jazeera''. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
Mykonos restaurant assassinations
Sadeq Sharafkandi
Sadegh Sharafkandi (Kurdish: سادق شەڕەفکەندی, ''Sadiq Şerefkendî''; 11 January 1938 – 17 September 1992) was a Kurdish political activist and the Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (PDKI).
Early l ...
's murder became an international incident between Germany and Iran. On 17 September 1992, PDKI leaders
Sadegh Sharafkandi
Sadegh Sharafkandi (Kurdish: سادق شەڕەفکەندی, ''Sadiq Şerefkendî''; 11 January 1938 – 17 September 1992) was a Kurdish political activist and the Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (PDKI).
Early l ...
, Fattah Abdoli, Homayoun Ardalan and their translator Nouri Dehkordi were assassinated at the
Mykonos Greek restaurant in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. In the Mykonos trial, the courts found
Kazem Darabi
Kazem Darabi ( fa, کاظم دارابی) (born 1964) is an Iranian intelligence service employee who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Berlin Supreme Court for murdering four Kurdish dissidents in Berlin in 1992. According to the court pro ...
, an
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian 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
Ali Fallahian ( fa, علی فلاحیان , born 23 October 1949) is an Iranian politician and cleric. He served as intelligence minister from 1989 to 1997 under the presidency of Ali Akbar Rafsanjani.
Early life and education
Fallahian was bo ...
after declaring that the assassination had been ordered by him with knowledge of Grand Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei and President
Ayatollah Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islam ...
.
Vienna assassination
On 13 July 1989, the then PDKI leader Abdul Ghassemlou arrived in Vienna with his delegation to have talks with diplomats, dispatched by Iran, regarding the terms of reconciliation between the central government in Teheran and the Kurds. Those were not the only talks with Iran, held in Vienna. After they entered the conference hall and the talks started, the Iranian “diplomats” took out automatic weapons and murdered all of the members of the Kurdish delegation, including Abdul Ghassemlou.
PDKI congresses
The PDKI has held fifteen congresses. These occurred in 1945, 1964, 1973, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2018.
During the 20th Congress of the
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations ...
, held at the
headquarters of the United Nations
zh, 联合国总部大楼french: Siège des Nations uniesrussian: Штаб-квартира Организации Объединённых Наций es, Sede de las Naciones Unidas
, image = Midtown Manhattan Skyline 004.jpg
, im ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
(9–11 September 1996), the PDKI was given the status of ''observer member''. In 2005, the PDKI's membership was elevated to ''consultative'' status.
Secretaries-General
*
Qazi Muhammad
Qazi Muhammad ( ku, قازی محەممەد / Qazî Mihemed, fa, قاضی محمد; 1 May 1893 – 31 March 1947) was an Kurdish leader who founded the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and headed the short-lived, Soviet-backed Republic of ...
(1945–1947)
*Ahmad Tofiq (1947–1973)
*
Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou
Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou ( ku, عهبدولڕهحمان قاسملوو, translit=Ebdulrehman Qasimlû; fa, عبدالرحمان قاسملو; 22 December 1930 – 13 July 1989) was an Iranian Kurdish politician and leader. Ghassemlou was t ...
(1973–1989)
*
Sadegh Sharafkandi
Sadegh Sharafkandi (Kurdish: سادق شەڕەفکەندی, ''Sadiq Şerefkendî''; 11 January 1938 – 17 September 1992) was a Kurdish political activist and the Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (PDKI).
Early l ...
(1989–1992)
*Abdullah Hasanzadeh (1993–2004)
*
Mustafa Hijri
Mustafa Hijri ( ku, مستەفا ھیجری, fa, مصطفی هجری) is an Iranian-Kurdish politician who is the current leader of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI).
Political life
Born in 1945 in the West Azarbaijan Province o ...
(2004–)
Military wing
![PDKI_fighters](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/PDKI_fighters.jpg)
The military wing of the PDKI is named PDKI Pershmerga.
Reunity
Both wings of PDKI and PDK reunited on July 21 2022 and build again Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
New leading team
The leading team untill the joint Congress calls Executive Board. This board has 12 members leading by Mustafa Hijri.
The leading team abroad or Executive Board Abroad has 6 members who are: Kwestan Gadani, Azad Azizi, Mohammad Rasoul Karimi, Aso Saleh, Kaveh Abdali and Rahim Mohammad Zadeh.
References
External links
The PDKI English language homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran
1945 establishments in Iran
Banned political parties in Iran
Banned Kurdish parties
Banned socialist parties
Consultative member parties of the Socialist International
Federalist parties in Iran
Kurdish nationalism in Iran
Kurdish nationalist political parties
Kurdish political parties in Iran
Left-wing militant groups in Iran
Members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Militant opposition to the Islamic Republic of Iran
Militant opposition to the Pahlavi dynasty
Organisations designated as terrorist by Iran
Parties of one-party systems
Political parties established in 1945
Political parties of the Iranian Revolution
Progressive Alliance
Secularism in Iran
Social democratic parties in Asia
Socialist parties in Iran