Press release by the Cooperation Center of Iranian Kurdistan’s Political Parties

Assassination and terrorism have been constant policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Throughout the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, assassination and terror acts have been used as methods against dissidents and opposition parties. There are numerous cases of assassination and acts of terror against opposition groups. Suffice to mention the assassination of members of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Organization for Struggle in Iranian Kurdistan, and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. Since 1991 until the present 350 members of the aforementioned organizations have been assassinated.  

Another case of Iranian act of terrorism is the 1996 invasion of Iraqi Kurdistan by several thousands of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC. The were equipped with heavy weaponry and attacked the bases of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. The camps in question are refugee camps. The refugee camps were targeted with artillery. As a result of this act of terrorism, the civilians in the refugee camps had to flee to Hawler (Erbil), the provincial capital of the Kurdistan region in Iraq.

During the past three years, Iran has carried out a number of terrorist acts against the Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which have resulted innocent civilians being wounded and killed. Also, a number of brave Peshmergas were killed in these terrorist acts. One such case is the explosion at the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, in which seven Peshmergas were martyred. Iran has also shelled the border region between Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan. Iran shelled the border region as recently as July 18, 2018, in which two Peshmergas were martyred. 

All these acts of terrorism and warmongering by the Iranian regime demand that we should be vigilant, especially at a time when the rulers of Iran are facing crises at home. Now that the voices of discontent and protest are increasing in Iran, the Iranian regime is attempting to divert attention from its domestic crises in an effort to manipulate public opinion. The regime does so by shelling and targeting the border region between Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan, but also by preparing attacks against the Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan region of Iraq through acts of terror and intimidation against the women and children that reside in the camps of those opposition groups.

To that end, the Iranian regime has embarked on a propaganda campaign to lay the ground for such acts of terror, which is evident in a recent report by Tasnim, which is a media outlet of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Crops.

We, the five Kurdish political parties that have established the Cooperation Center of Iranian Kurdistan’s Political Parties, are calling for help to prevent such attacks before civilians are targeted in the border region between Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan or in the refugee camps of the Iranian Kurds in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

To prevent such attacks, we are calling on the United Nations, the consulates of foreign countries in the Kurdistan region, as well as the Kurdistan Regional Government to support us in every possible way.

Cooperation Center of Iranian Kurdistan’s Political Parties 

July 26, 2018