Within the context of national consultancy, the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) organised an intensive assembly on 14-15 September in Stockholm with a view to evaluating the latest development in East Kurdistan (Rojhilat). It was attended by representatives of political parties and institutions, experts of wide-ranging issues, lawyers, representatives of civil and cultural institutions, and a considerable number of Kurdistanian figures.

The assembly started off on Saturday with reading of the KNK’s message and holding of a minute of silence for the martyrs of Kurdistan. Later, social situations and structures of East Kurdistan, the economic and class conditions, women, human rights, political situations, and solution methods of these issues were discussed. Within the two days, the guests and participators aired their views and with their questions and answers they discussed the current situations of East Kurdistan from all aspects. On Sunday, the assembly was ended with a resolution.

East Kurdistan suffers from the colonial practices of the Islamic Republic of Iran. For more than 40 years, the regressive Iranian regime have been violating the rights of the Kurdish people, silencing voices of the liberationists, and responding the Kurds’ demands with war and bloodshed. Social conditions have been deteriorating with each passing day, and drug addiction among the youth have turned into the regime’s special war against the Kurdish people. Women have been deprived of their human rights while economic conditions are at the brink of collapse. Money extortion, theft, selling human body parts, fraud and corruption have permeated society pushing it into a crisis. The working class and the poor in particular experience their hardest time.

Its interference in the internal affairs of the regional countries such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen pushed Iran into a dangerous international crisis. In dealing with this situation, the Islamic Republic have reinforced its military strongholds and continued to arm its itself. Its nuclear programme has turned into a new international crisis. In addition to this, the manufacture and employment of military drones along with missiles that have been used in Syrian, Lebanon, and Yemen against Israel, Saudi Arabia and American allies have elevated the risk of a regional war to its highest level.

In the last two years, the Islamic Republic have used most of its advanced weapons against its political opponents in East Kurdistan. On 8 September 2018, it launched a missile attack on the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, martyring 16 cadres of the party and two pêşmerges of the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party. At the same day, the colonial Iranian regime executed in their prison cells three Kurdish revolutionaries: Ramîn Husên Penayî, Zaniyar Muradî and Luqman Muradî. This all shows that the terror of the Islamic regime on our people is unlimited.

Other than politics and society, the Islamic Republic have neither spared Kurdistan’s environment. Last year, people working for the regime set fire to the forests and plantations in various places. While trying to put out the fire four environmentalist actives, Şerîf Bacûr, Umîd Konepoşî, Rehmet Hekîmîniya, and Mihemed Pejûhî lost their lives. This is why protection of Kurdistan’s environment should be seen as a national duty.

From economic aspect, the regime has not provided the people with employment. Owing to this, many people have no option but to opt for the unenduring and perilous work of back-carrying goods across the border. Despite this, the regime does not even allow them to do this arduous work, killing hundreds and wounding many more of them until now.

It has been years that arbitrary arrest, murder, pressure and attack on civil organisations have been a major policy of the Iranian regime in East Kurdistan. In addition, outside the borders of East Kurdistan the Iranian regime have played a lethal role against the Kurds and the Kurdistanian movements. If an opportunity rises for the Kurds to achieve their rights in each part of Kurdistan, the Islamic Republic mobilises all its resources to eliminate it, not allowing it to be taken advantage of by the Kurds. Iran’s collusion with Turkey in Sochi summits against the interests of the people of Rojava, its collusion with Hashd al-Shabi and other extremist groups in Iraq against the people of South Kurdistan, its direct involvement with Turkey against the liberation movement of the Kurds in North Kurdistan all show the Iranian anti-Kurdish policies.

Against the colonial practices of the Islamic Republic, the national liberation movement of East Kurdistan have from the outset been carrying a liberationist struggling. Heroically it has elevated the national struggle to a level that each side now takes the Kurds into consideration. In order to make this struggle triumphant, it is mandatory that Kurdish political establishments in East Kurdistan come together and open the way for involvement of all individuals and groups of the Kurdistan movement.

Envoys and personalities who took part in national consultancy of East Kurdistan, after long discussion of the aforementioned issues, suggested the following points to the public:

Iran is a multinational and multi-religion county with wide-ranging belief systems. The Iranian Republic must not be formed around a single nation or a single religion. Iran must become a democratic, secular, free and just county.

The current conditions of the Kurdish people in East Kurdistan is unacceptable. The Kurdish people like other nations can enjoy fundamental rights including the right to self-determination.

The East Kurdistan political parties and institutions should engage themselves in a dialogue in order to form an inclusive national platform, and avoid detrimental competition which does nothing but to make their enemies happy.

Through their cooperation and coordination all East Kurdistan’s political parties and institutions must not allow the enemy take advantage of their political disputes or their ideological, organisational or political differences. The ground for common work must be set.

The assembly calls upon all political parties, institutions and individuals of East Kurdistan to stand up for West and South Kurdistan. They must also support the Kurdish struggle in North Kurdistan.

To facilitate the participation of women in society and politics of East Kurdistan, political parties and institutions must eliminate all obstacles and difficulties on their path. They should stand against all social traditions that impede women activism. Women’s rights and will must be secured in all aspects of life and the grounds for the development of women freedom movement must be prepared.

The assembly support the struggle and endeavour of Kurdistan’s and Iran’s women for the achievement of freedom, justice and democracy.

The assembly supports and stands up for all political and civil prisoners, and condemns the policy of arbitrary arrest, torture and execution practised by the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian regime has not avoided the policy of destruction, elimination and looting of Kurdistan historical sites. That is why the protection of historical sites stands as a national duty. The Kurdish people must not allow the distortion of its cultural heritage.

The assembly is of opinion that the legitimate struggle of the people of Kurdistan will not achieve its ultimate aim without the erosion of the Islamic Republic and its substitution with a democratic and just alternative. That is why the Kurdish struggle for freedom in East Kurdistan should act in coordination and cooperation with the freedom-seeking struggle of the peoples of Iran for the erosion of the Islamic Republic.

The assembly calls upon all establishments and liberationist forces of Iran to come together and engage in common work for the creation of a free, democratic and just Iran where the problems of national and religion entities are solved.

The assembly calls upon the international community, human rights institutions, civil society activists, and members of UN Security Council to support the freedom struggle of the Kurdish people. They should pay a particular attention to the working conditions of back-carriers (kolbers) and prevent the systematic killing of this poor class by the military personnel of the Islamic Republic.

In order to follow up with the implementation of these points, the assembly elected a committee which will work in coordination with the KNK’s Executive Council.

We are of opinion that this assembly will strengthen the struggle for peace and freedom and pave the way for national unity.

Greetings

The consultancy assembly of East Kurdistan

September 15, 2019