Nov 20, 2017

UNPO Announces Launch of Council of Iranian Democrats (CID)


The  first conference of the Democracy Council of Iran (DCI) was held on 18 November 2017 in Cologne, Germany. It was a unique and historical moment where 10 political parties representing different Iranian national communities joined together with the ambition to create a comprehensive and united coalition that will aim to guarantee national minorities' rights, while maintaining territorial integrity. The event was concluded by a series of various speakers, including scholars, representatives of member-parties, and organisations of the Council, and non-members. All speakers took the floor divided in panel discussions, which suggested various proposals to find fruitful solutions for a peaceful non-violent  political transition in Iran.

The following final resolution was unanimously approved by all the participants:

Whereas the current turmoil, and political, economic and social crisis that has been imposed on Iran over the past four decades by the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including mismanagement, plundering of national wealth, suppression and violations of the fundamental rights of the Iranian peoples, has led to the emergence of ongoing widespread grass-root social movements inside Iran that are challenging and endangering the very existence of the regime,

Whereas considering the lack of a national-wide coherent leadership in the country, these movements will likely be suppressed by the regime’s Basij and the Revisionary Guard militias; thus, the Democracy Council of Iran, as a major and inclusive movement - along with other components of the opposition against the Islamic Republic, is obligated to defend the current, on-going struggles of the peoples in Iran.

Whereas the government of the Islamic Republic is a state-terrorist government that has misused the resources and wealth of the country for its evil intentions over the past decades by relying on political Islam and the reactionary system of Velayat-e Faqhih as its ideology, in addition to the oppression of peoples and nationalities living in Iran, motivated to export its ideology and revolution and extend its sphere of influence in the region, has embarked upon killing and massacre of other innocent nations of the region in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon, and ultimately the Iraqi Kurdistan, thus, this regime has become the enemy of Iranian people as well as the enemy of these nations.

Whereas the formation of this unprecedented and pioneering organization (CDI) is a major milestone in the history of the struggles of the peoples of Iran, as its analysis is based on  national diversity of the Iranian society, and its proposed  solutions is creation of a pluralistic federal republic  – to address the centralized system of governance on one hand, and lack of political participation by all constituent Iranian nationalities-  such as Azerbaijani-Turks, Arabs, Kurds, Baloch, Turkmen, Lurs and others, which has been  the root cause of Iran's political, economic and social backwardness, despite the abundance of all material and human resources –

Thus, the Council resolves creating a national consensus among all Iranian nationalities, the dominant and the marginalized ones, from the entire spectrum of Iranian opposition, as the only way to change the current dictatorship of Islamic Republic and move the country forward:

Hence, the parties and organizations representing the Democracy Council of Iran, who are present at this conference, state:

We believe that the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran is by no means is reformable; therefore the change of regime is a national Iranian agenda, using peaceful means to transition to the rule of law,  based on a decentralized federal democratic republic society, based on the separation of religion from the state, pluralism, social liberty and social justice, utilizing all methods of peaceful struggles including civil disobedience, civil uprising, and other appropriate means of addressing and defending the rights of people of Iran.

1. We believe that the United Nations charter of human rights and the its Covenants and Conventions should form the basis of democracy and the future state of Iran.

2. In future democratic Iran, the legal and gender equality between men and women, the freedom of all religious and beliefs, the individual and collective rights of citizens, the freedom of the various cultures, the freedom of the press and the media, the freedom of political and social activities must be guaranteed.

3. We believe that only political participation of all constituent nationalities in Iran, Persian, Turks, Arabs, Kurds, Baloch, Turkmen, Lurs and others will preserve the territorial integrity of Iran.

4. The Democracy Council of Iran respects the rights of all countries of the region, non-interference in the affairs of neighbouring countries, and respect for their sovereignty; we seek political, economic and cultural relations based on peaceful coexistence with all countries of the Middle East and the world, and we seek an Iran as an active member of the international community

According to the above, the first Conference of the Council resolves that:

The Council obligates itself to implement the necessary measures for the formation of various working groups and commissions, including a diplomatic a corps, and in coordination with our colleagues inside Iran, will establish various committees for the defence of workers' movements, students, women, teachers, unemployed inside Iran; in addition to a formation of a constitutional committee for drafting a constitution for submission to the general assembly.

UNPO strongly supports this initiative and the creation of this inclusive and peaceful organisation.

UNPO is committed to defend the rights of unrepresented nations, and supports peaceful and resourceful initiatives to promote democracy and dialogue among peoples.

The UNPO strongly condemns the unjust treatment of successive centralised nation-state oriented governments, which led to the marginalization and persecution of Iran’s most vulnerable minorities, which is illegal, according to international law and the Iranian Constitution, and against civil liberties. Human Rights violations against minorities in Iran are manifold; touching upon civil, political and economic rights. Environmental issues are also worsened by the authorities’ mismanagement of water resources, which could lead to a severe crisis, from Orumiyyah to Zahedan. The report of increasing cases of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, women’s rights violations, gender-based discrimination, child labour, arbitrary arrests, juvenile executions, and many others, shows that change is a necessity and that the unity of all nations and peoples in Iran is the key for political transformation.

The UNPO supports the Council’s non-violent mandate for the promotion of equality, justice, liberty, and security for all the peoples and nations in Iran. It is a legitimate and ethical cause, and UNPO is eager to provide the support needed by the Council of Iranian Democrats to foster democracy and peoples' right to self-determination in Iran.

The name of the signatory parties are :

1. Democratic front of Iran

2. Solidarity for freedom and Human Rights organization

3. Democrat party of Kurdistan

4. Komeleh party of Kurdistan

5. Tazamon democratic party of Ahwaz

6. Peoples party of Baluchistan

7. The united front of Baluchistan

8. Democratic party of Lorestan

9. Political and cultural organization of Turkman Sahara

10. Political and cultural organization of Azerbaijan



An article on the launch of the Council of Iranian Democrats was published by Radio Farda