Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP-Iran) was founded in the city of Mahabad, in Iranian Kurdistan,
on 16 August, 1945. KDP replaced the "Komalay Ziyanaway Kurd "(Council of Kurdish
Resurrection) which had been formed three years earlier. Just 159 days after its foundation in
January 22, 1946, the Party, availing itself of expedient circumstances in a section of Iranian
Kurdistan, established the “Rep
ublic of Kurdistan ", usually referred to, by historians as the
“Republic of Mahabad , the reason being its choice of Mahabad as the capital. Following a pact signed by the
Iranian central government and the ex-Soviet Union, the Iranian army launched a vast offensive
into the region, destroying the “Republic “December 17, 1946. The " Republic " having collapsed,
a great number of KDP leaders were imprisoned, of whom 20 people including Ghazi Mohammad,
head of the Party and president of the Republic, M. Hossein Seyfi-Ghazi, minister of Defence, and
Abulghassem Sadri-Ghazi, a member of the Iranian Parliament from Mahabad, were hanged in
the capital of the Republic, and the others in Saqez and Bukan. In less than two years after the collapse of the Republic, KDP started its political and
organizational activities anew, striking roots in most parts of Iranian Kurdistan, which was due
mainly to the Kurdish people's desire to join the struggle, aimed at fulfilling the Party's aspirations
and reviving the honour of the Republic of Kurdistan. Brief Historical
Background of
Kurdistan Democratic
Party (KDP-IRAN)
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Following the collapse of Dr. Mossadegh's government in 1953, when democratic rights and
freedoms of the peoples throughout Iran were suppressed, KDP’s activities came almost to a
standstill. A great number of Party activists were either imprisoned or went underground, though
they resumed their activities after a very short time. Two widespread police raids against the Party in 1959 and 1964 dealt heavy blows to its
organization: some 300 Party activists were imprisoned, with an even greater number hiding away
or fleeing Iran. Nevertheless, not having sunk into despair, the Party embarked on the task of
reviving its organization. Its activities picked up such a
speed that in 1967-68, a large number of its members
and high-ranking cadres started an armed insurrection -
lasting 18 months - against the Shah's regime,. But as
this armed movement lacked a safe rear zone, the
Shah's regime managed somehow to crush it. The Kurdish people in Iranian Kurdistan and KDP
played an active part in the Iranian people's uprising
against the Shah's dictatorship. A group of KDP leaders,
who were living in exile either in neighbouring countries or in Europe, returned to Iran before the
collapse of the monarchy, actively participating in the uprising of the Kurdish people and assuming
the status of leadership in the movement.
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After the Iranian revolution in1979, KDP declared its
public activities in a meeting which was attended by
representatives from all parts of Iranian Kurdistan. Despite the Party's sincere endeavours to settle its
differences over the democratic rights and freedoms of
the Kurdish people peacefully with the newly established
regime in Tehran, the rulers in Tehran took no account
of the responsible efforts made by KDP. Instead,
following the "fatwa " issued by ayatollah Khomeini
against the Kurdish people, the Iranian armed forces
ruthlessly embarked on a widespread offensive against
the Kurdish population, shelling and bombing villages
and towns of Kurdistan. On 13 July 1989, Dr. Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou, Secretary-general of KDP, and two of his
collaborators, were assassinated in Vienna (Austria) as they were negotiating with envoys of the
Iranian regime, at the latter's invitation, for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue in Iran. Dr.
Ghassemlou's successor, Dr. Sadegh Sharafkandi met with the same fate on 17 September 1992
in Berlin where he had attended the Congress of the Socialist International. They all were victims
of Iranian state terrorism. KDP has held fourteen congresses. The 1st congress was convened in 1945, the 2nd in 1964, the
3rd in 1971, the 4th in 1980, the 5th in 1982, the 6th in 1984, the 7th in 1985, the 8th in 1988, the 9th in
1992, the 10th in 1995, the 11th in 1997, the 12th in 2000, the 13 in July 2004 and the last congress
14th was held in 6 March 2008. Notes on the KDP’s congresses
2rd Congress
The 2end congress was held under leadership of Ahmad Toufiq (Abdullah Eshaqi), and he
deprived many members from their rights of participating in the congress, which caused major
disagreement within the KDP. Having suffered from these disagreements a section KDP was
forced to involve in the armed struggle against the Iranian regime between1967-68 in order to
maintain its integrity, however it caused heavy causalities and the remaining members organised a
conference, which recorded in the history of KDP as a 2end conference to agree a new political
strategy and way forward following the armed struggle of 1967-68. In this conference the word of
Iran in bracket was added to the name of KDP and which forced the remaining followers of Ahmad
Toufiq to leave KDPI.
4th Congress
The 4th congress was held 1980 and a fraction who affiliated with the Tudeh Party of Iran left KDPI
and formed KDPI-the followers of the 4th Congress. In this congress the word of Iran remain as a
Party’s title without a bracket.
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8th Congress
The 8th congress was held in 1988 in which caused a major split within the party and a section of
the leadership and rank and files continued their activities under name KDPI-revolutionary
leadership. The main reason behind this split was the act of the other section of leadership by
inventing ‘fixed list’ which meant only members of this list were entitle to be elected as a member
of central committee.
13th Congress
The 13th congress was held in July 2004, in which the current leadership of KDPI by illegal means
gained the majority and following the congress they started a campaign of expelling the members
who were supporting political view of the minority of the leadership. This again caused a major
split within the Party and the splitter group called themselves KDP to regenerate the original name
of the party and the other section continued as KDPI. During the 20th Congress of the Socialist International held in the UN headquarters in New York
(9-11 September 1996), KDP was given the status of observer member. In 2005, KDP’S
membership was elevated to continued status. The highest body of KDP is its Central Committee, which is usually composed of 21 permanent
and 12 substitute members. The Central Committee also elects about 7 of its members as the
Political Bureau, which also includes the Secretary-general.
