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Commemorating
Dr. Ghassemlou’s Martyrdom and the Loss of Kak Salam Azizi
Democratic
Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in the period of its 56 years of
struggling history has left behind many vulnerable stages. Hard and difficult struggle filled with strained
circumstances, heaped up with sudden events and unpleasant tragedies.
In the past, the despotism of monarchy, and in this period the
reactionary regime of Islamic Republic’s oppression have continuously been
waging on our Party as a disturbing nightmare.
These regimes have not withheld from any inhumane plans and actions
for the elimination of our Party leadership, surrendering its members, and
to put an end to its political and organizational history.
Qazi
Mohammad who was the founder, and the leader of PDKI, and the establisher of
the Kurdistan Republic was hanged on March 30, 1947 on the order of Mohammad
Reza Shah, only with the offense that he had lived for the Kurds, and had
been in the service of his national aspirations.
No doubt, the unpleasant tragedy of July 13, 1989 too was not only
painful that it will never vanish from the memory of the Kurds, but it also
afflicted and touched upon the hearts of democratic liberation activists,
and defendants of human rights globally.
It was in this day, that Dr. Ghassemlou, the Secretary-general of our
Party, and Abdullah Ghaderi-Azar, member of the Central Committee and the
official representative of the Party in Europe, were assassinated in the
city of Vienna by the terrorists of Islamic Republic.
A plan that the regime’s mercenaries had drafted in the name of
negotiation ended with the assassination of Dr. Ghassemlou and his comrades.
Regime’s authorities had hoped to achieve from this terror the
demise of our Party, the disappointment of the people of Kurdistan in their
just cause that the PDKI had been leading.
Dr.
Ghassemlou was a talented and a capable personality of our Party.
Within the organization and the Kurdish community, he was a popular
and a well-respected individual. He
was not only a charismatic leader within the Kurds, but he was also known as
a knowledged individual in diplomacy and a messenger of peace and dialogue
in the world of politics, in international community, and democratic
organizations, and his global fame emanated from these characteristics.
Ghassemlou’s
mission to lead PDKI dates back to 1950. When he started to perform this
mission, from PDKI had remained a big name, but a destroyed city.
It was because of his leading role that the political-organizational
structure of the Party was redrawn from the start, and was organized based
on a modern platform that was reflective of the contemporary conditions of
struggle, and a developed programme and charter for the Party was proposed.
After these changes, absolutism was abolished in the Party forever;
internal democracy flourished; meetings, conferences and conventions took
place; the leadership of the Party was elected from these conferences and
conventions; collective cooperative activities proliferated; the principle
of criticism --aimed at eliminating shortages and solving difficulties-- and
development was given top priority; education and training of members with
organizational courage, and struggle in the direction of raising their level
of political-organizational knowledge spread, and organization became the
mot important weapon of political activeness.
The
thesis of living Ghassemlou on healthy internal relations were blended with
mutual understanding and friendship; not only the borders between
accountability and friendship did not fall and were not disrupted, but also
each on its own place was respected. The
circumstances were changed in a way that the member of the Party from the
top of the pyramid to its bases, transformed to the members of a family.
The effects of such changes on the members were so drastic that they
considered the Party theirs, and were extremely active in preserving their
Party personality.
Dr.
Ghassemlou theorized the Party’s relations with the Kurdish organizations
and parties in a way that the layout of these relations should be analyzed
as a historical necessity, and established on the basis of mutual respect
and non-intervention in each other’s affairs, and most importantly no
Kurdish organization should allow itself to establish regional and
international relations with countries on behalf of another organization.
Ghassemlou
believed in the unity of the Kurdish nation.
It was from this perspective that he published “Kurdistan and Kurds”.
However, his world understanding of the Kurdish issues was very
realistic. He had felt all the
obstacles that had been created by the sensitive geographical location of
Kurdistan. He would critically
analyze the level of capability and power of the international forces in the
Middle East region. In this
analysis it was important that between “national interest” and
“political consideration”, he had chosen “ the possible”. This
thesis was followed by the synthesis slogan of “Democracy for Iran,
Autonomy for Kurdistan”, a slogan that has still remained as the strategic
slogan of the Party, and has gathered members and sympathizers under its
umbrella.
Ghassemlou
observed a special dialectical relationship between “national democracy”
and “regional autonomy”, and identified a precise and logical
relationship method that the Party developed with national Iranian
organizations. These relations
were rooted on the basis of finding common grounds and mutual respect, and
the avoidance of any emerging hegemonic force. Those segment of
organizations and national parties that respected democracy and the rights
of oppressed nationalities of Iran were placed on the front ranks of the
organizations that the Party should establish relations with, and it was
meant that these relations should be strategic and long-term.
PDKI in this respect also attained many important achievements.
Its prestige increased day by day among the popular masses of Iran
and other democratic political personalities and nation-wide organizations.
The political-organizational capability and credit of the Party in
regards to the destiny of Iranian political alternative has reached a scale
that any national or united democratic or progressive front in Iran without
the cooperation or participation of PDKI is considered weak and incomplete.
Ghassemlou’s
thesis in regards to the presence of the Party in international gatherings
and communities was also very effective and decisive. Previously, if there existed any relationships between our
Party and the international groups and organizations, it was not reflective
of our Party’s resistance circumstances and conditions. It was Ghassemlou who with experience and awareness of the
culture and politics of Eastern and Western European countries, cleverly and
masterly strived on these matters and experimented many ways, and showed to
the world a real image of a democrat; it reached a stage that now mainly as
a result of his non-top struggle, PDKI has been admitted to the ranks of
Socialist International as a member to carry across the just demands of the
Kurds in Iranian Kurdistan to the world via this universal tribune.
Ghassemlou
had dedicated the last 20 years of his life serving Party objectives.
He was himself a school of humanity, national sentiment, and
performance of Party affairs. The change that he brought into the Party organism was so
effective, dynamic, and appropriate that after his martyrdom left behind a
strong, firm Democratic Party with many experiences. The precious lessons and advices that the companions of
Democrat had learned from the school of Ghassemlou, had brought them about
in a way that they had remained in the stage of struggle with a firm belief
and a courage more than before; by keeping the ranks of the Party united,
they remained faithful to the path of development, and did not allow the
anti-ethnic regime, the Islamic Republic to carry out its polluted
objectives.
As
we look into the month of July, and turn the daily pages of this month, we
see that aside from the tragic event of July 13, 1989, we have also
encountered another doleful event in 15 July 1999, and sadness and mourning
has hurt the hearts of our democratic comrades once more.
It was the sudden death of our valued comrade, Sayid Salam Azizi,
member of Politburo of the Party. In
this day, his heart stopped due to a sudden illness and this striving
comrade bid farewell with his companions.
Comrade
Salam Azizi was a real democrat and one of the loyal students of Dr.
Ghassemlou. He too had
dedicated the last two decades of his life to fight and struggle in the
ranks of PDKI. In the direction
of serving his objectives, he left aside his personal life, abandoned his
post and state appointment, and joined the fighting force of the Party, and
as a devoted and a fighting comrade dedicated all his capabilities and
knowledge to perform his Party responsibilities.
Truthfulness, merit, ingeniousness, firmness were some of the eminent
social characteristics of Kak Salam that assisted him in this leadership
role. He was elected as a member of
Politburo for 10 years, and in this important and honourable post
carried out his duties. Kak
Salam was a public figure, and an extremely successful family man.
He was very respected by all those who had close contact with him.
Kak Salam was one of the most important assets of the Party and an
energetic PDKI cadre. With his
death, PDKI endured a heavy loss to its organizational structure.
It has only been the courage and the sacrifices of children of
Democrat who have been able to compensate the loss of this comrade and
appeased the painful hearts of family and friends.
In the 12th anniversary
of the assassination of Dr. Ghassemlou, and the 2nd anniversary
of the absence of Kak Sayid Salam Azizi, comrades and co-fighters, along
with a authentic and faithful praising to the spirits of these two live
leaders, we renew our promise with their virtuous souls and the popular
masses of Kurdistan that we remain the continuous followers of their proud
path until the realization of their holy objectives, and the slogan of
“victory or death” will remain as the lighthouse of our struggle.
Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan
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