The Executive Council Co-Presidency of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) called on the Iranian regime to recognize the Kurdish problem and take steps to resolve it instead of blaming the Kurds or foreign powers for the current popular uprisings.

The KCK Executive Council Co-Presidency statement concerning the Iranian crackdown on the people who have been voicing their demands for democracy and freedom in Iran and Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan, Northwestern Iran), and Rojhilat forces stationed in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) includes the following:

“Many protestors have lost their lives as a result of the Iranian state's violent response to the popular protests that started in Rojhilat and then spread all over Iran following the brutal murder of Kurdish woman Mahsa (Jîna) Amini. It is unacceptable that the Iranian state violently responded to the popular protests led by women who promote the democracy and freedom demands of the entire Iranian society, especially women, and that many people lost their lives as a result of the crackdown. As the Kurdish Freedom Movement, we condemn this aggressive attitude of the Iranian state and respectfully commemorate those who lost their lives.

Apart from the attacks against the people inside the country, the Iranian state also attacked Bashur (Southern Kurdistan) and targeted the Rojhilat forces. Because the Iranian state blames the Kurds for the protests, it carries out attacks against the Kurds and Kurdish organizations from Rojhilat. As a result of the attacks against Kurdish organizations, many revolutionaries, patriots and citizens have lost their lives. We commemorate those who lost their lives as a result of these attacks and offer our condolences to the people of Kurdistan and the Rojhilat forces that were attacked. We condemn these attacks carried out by the Iranian state against the Kurdish forces. The approach of the Iranian state causes problems not only for the peoples of the country but also for itself.

PEOPLE’S DEMANDS ARE LEGITIMATE AND UNIVERSAL

The Iranian state should take into account the Iranian peoples’ demand for democracy, especially women's demand for freedom, and take steps to meet these demands and resolve the problems. The demands expressed by the Kurdish and Iranian women are democratic, legitimate and universal demands. Women's demands cannot be ignored, and their violent suppression is unacceptable. The approach of the Iranian state, which does not recognize women’s free will and tries to suppress them with state violence, is inhuman and unacceptable. The Iranian state should abandon its male-dominated mentality and understanding against women and their demand for freedom. Although the regime claims to bear a positive approach towards women, society and people thanks to its traditional culture and belief, its recent crackdown against the demand for freedom of society and peoples, especially women, proves that this is not the case. The male-dominated understanding and mentality that reject women's reality, nature and freedom demands is not right and will yield no results.

The Iranian state always attempts to designate protests which reveal public backlash and reflect people’s legitimate demands as a conspiracy of foreign powers. This rhetoric must finally be abandoned. It is neither relevant nor true. The Iranian peoples and society, especially women, have serious problems. Instead of putting the blame on foreign powers, the Iranian state should recognize women’s problems. No power that defies democracy and freedoms can have legitimacy, nor can it survive. Therefore, the Iranian state should take steps concerning the problems and demands of society. Dialogue, negotiation and reconciliation methods should be promoted for the solution of the problems and democratization steps should be introduced to resolve them.

DEMOCRATIZATION STEPS MUST BE TAKEN

The Iranian state and other powers already know that as the Kurdish Freedom Movement, we always stand against the interventions of foreign powers in the Middle East. The interventions of foreign powers are not for the benefit of the peoples and do not yield any results. Thus, we consider our anti-interventionist attitude to be right and we preserve it. The most effective way to prevent the interventions of foreign powers is to take steps that meet the demands of society for freedom and democracy. If democratization steps are taken, conspiracies and interventions by foreign powers will be foiled and prevented. If this is not done, neither the state will have popular legitimacy, nor the threat of foreign interventions will be eliminated.

THE KURDISH QUESTION CAN'T BE IGNORED

The Iranian state should focus on the solution to the Kurdish question instead of blaming the Kurds for the current popular protests. The Kurdish question should be recognized officially, and steps should be taken to resolve it. The Kurdish question is one of the most fundamental problems not only for Iran but also for the entire Middle East. This reality cannot be ignored. Whoever ignores the Kurdish question will suffer from it the most. Therefore, attacks against the Kurdish people and forces are not in the interest of the Iranian state. The Iranian state should realize this reality, abandon discriminatory approaches, and halt its attacks on the Kurdish people, women and organizations as soon as possible.”