Iran: UNPO Strongly Condemns the Bombing of the Headquarters of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan by Iranian Regime
On Sunday, 8 September 2018, the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) were bombed by the Iranian regime. This episode is a continuation of the systemic abuse of human rights carried out against the oppressed Kurdish people since 1979. UNPO strongly condemns the targeted attack and calls on the international community to hold Iran accountable for its crimes.
With 15 reported killed and more than 50 people wounded, this attack is only the latest episode in the systematic human rights abuses carried out by Iran. The bombing happened in Koya, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan where according to the PDKI, “Iran used long-range missiles in a coordinated attack on PDKI bases and adjacent refugee camps”.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran has already assumed responsibility for the attack. The bombing was also broadcasted on the Iranian national television network. According to some analysts, the attack comes as a symbolic warning to the PDKI, as it has resumed a more active struggle against the Iranian regime after two decades of uneasy peace. Al Jazeera reported that this was the first such attack since 1996.
The PDKI released a statement saying that, in light of the decades-long systematic abuse of human rights, ethnic discrimination, and militant approach towards the Kurdish people, “the Kurdish national liberation movement will continue the unwavering and legitimate struggle for the Kurdish people’s human dignity and national rights”. UNPO supports the PDKI in their struggle for freedom and strongly condemns this attack which violates the dignity and the livelihoods of the Kurdish people.
Photo courtesy of PDKI
