Source:

Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (Hezb-e Democrat-e Kordestan Iran, KDPI, DPKI) [ID 9336]

For latest information see chapter Politics & Law > Political Parties > Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

KDPI alleges torture and execution of some of its membera ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19747],  [ID 9337]

"Two political activists associated with the outlawed Komala party, Sassan al-Kanaan and Mohammad Golabi, were executed in February and March. The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), an opposition party, alleged that the Government executed party member Jalil Zewal in December, after 9 years in prison during which he was reportedly subjected to torture. KDPI member Ramin Sharifi was also executed in December after his arrest in July. Mohammad Golabi was reportedly tortured while in detention. Sassan al-Kanaan's execution was reportedly carried out while his mother was in Tehran meeting on his behalf with the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. [...]

The Kurds sought greater autonomy from the central Government and continued to suffer from government discrimination. Sunni Kurdish tensions with the Shi'a dominated government predate the 1979 revolution. Kurds often were suspected of harboring separatist or foreign sympathies. These suspicions have led to sporadic outbreaks of fighting between government forces and Kurdish groups. In recent years, greater Kurdish cultural expression has been allowed and Kurdish publications and broadcasting have expanded. However, there was still no public school education in the Kurdish language.

The KDPI claimed that the Government executed at least four Kurdish party members and activists during the year. According to KDPI, plainclothes vigilantes in five separate attacks killed seven more Kurds during the year (see Section 1.a.). Other activists were reported imprisoned."

Document(s): Open document

24.09.2003 - Source: Amnesty International

Kurdish Iranian woman currently detained in Ankara Police Headquarters, is in imminent danger of being forcibly returned to Iran, where she would be at risk of arbitrary detention, torture or ill-treatment due to her political activism ("Turkey - UA 276/03") [#16273],  [ID 9338]

Document(s): Open document
Open document

11.2001 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

00.11.2001 - ACCORD: Harsh government acitivites against the KDPI and the assassination of several important members of the KDPI have dealt a serious blow to KDPI activities; the KDPI has no power basis in Iran ("7th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Berlin, 11 - 12 June 2001: Final Report - Iran") [#7661],  [ID 9339]

"Occasionally, there are reports of skirmishes in the areas bordering Iraq between the Iranian army and the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), which operates from Iraqi territory. However, the KDPI as well as the Komaleh, the Kurdish branch of the Communist Party of Iran, have seriously curtailed their activities. The murder of the former Leader of the KDPI, Abdolrahman Ghassemlou, in 1989 in Vienna and the later murder of his successor Sadegh Sharifkandi in Berlin (Mykonos restaurant) in 1992 as well as the murder of other important members of the KDPI in Northern Iraq have dealt a very serious blow to KDPI activities and to the morale of its members. As a consequence of the harsh actions initiated by the Iranian government against these groups they do have no power base inside Iran. Some very committed KDPI members
stated that they abandoned their party as they no longer had faith in its capacity and political agenda.

Although KDPI and CPI-Komaleh have no power basis in Iran and mainly share some facilities in Iraq, their members are at risk as they face incursions from the Iranian authorities."

Document(s): cois2001-irn.pdf