Statement of the Congress of Nationalities of Federal Iran Condemning Mr. Pahlavi’s Authoritarian Threats Against the Solidarity of the Kurdish People’s Parties
Mr. Pahlavi’s latest media remarks once again demonstrate that behind the high-sounding slogans of “freedom” and “a new future for Iran” lies the same old centralist and authoritarian outlook that has caused much of the suffering and division in Iran over the past century.
In response to the announcement of the formation of the “Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan,” he described the Kurdish parties as “several separatist groups” and went even further by threatening—despite not being in a position of power—that if he were to gain power, he would order the army to suppress the people of Kurdistan. Such language is not only contrary to the fundamental principles of democracy and human rights, but also reminiscent of the rhetoric of totalitarian governments that, for decades, have labeled and securitized the legitimate demands of the Iranian people under the pretext of “preserving territorial integrity.”
Historical experience has shown that securitizing politics and militarizing civil demands neither creates unity nor ensures stability; rather, it deepens national divisions.
We clearly declare: The struggle of the Kurdish nation is an inseparable part of the broader struggle of the Iranian people against ruling tyranny and for a transition to a democratic, secular order based on equal rights. The demands for freedom, human dignity, social justice, the right to education in one’s mother tongue, local self-administration, and equal participation in shaping Iran’s future structure are not “separatism.” Rather, they reflect principles recognized in international human rights documents concerning the rights of nations.
The struggle of the people of Kurdistan is a struggle against structural discrimination and the denial of identity—discrimination imposed on the historical peoples of Iran in various political, cultural, economic, and security forms. This struggle against tyranny—under any name or flag—will continue.
History clearly demonstrates that the language of threats and military campaigns leads only to a cycle of violence. Nearly five decades ago, a “jihad” order was issued against the Kurds in similar language, resulting in deepened distrust and lasting national wounds. Even earlier, the centralist policies of the first Pahlavi era undermined the foundations of voluntary coexistence by denying national and cultural diversity. Repeating the same path, even under a new guise, merely reproduces the same crises.
Iran is a pluralistic country composed of historically diverse nations. Sustainable unity can only be achieved through recognition of this plurality—not by denying it through threats of military force and repression. Those who speak today of “repression,” even before attaining power, should remember that the nations of Iran possess a long historical memory and have not forgotten a century of authoritarian centralism.
We warn: Any political project built on fear, exclusion, forced assimilation, and national supremacy is destined to fail. The future of Iran will not be secured through military campaigns against its nations or by imposing the will of the center upon the periphery. A threat against any nation is a threat against all.
We—the nations subjected to discrimination and denial over the past hundred years—stand united in defense of our collective rights. Just as the Pahlavi regime and later the Islamic Republic, despite widespread repression, failed to break the will of the Kurdish nation and other nations of Iran, so too in the twenty-first century—the century of awareness, communication, and recognition of identities—no force will silence the political will of nations through military means.
The Congress of Nationalities of Federal Iran reiterates: The path toward Iran’s future does not lie in reproducing failed centralist models, but in equal dialogue, recognition of national rights, fair distribution of power, and a federal, secular, and democratic structure of governance. Only through the genuine partnership of all nations in determining their shared destiny can a free, democratic, and just Iran be built.
We believe that true solidarity is not forged by denying differences, but by embracing them and transforming diversity into a strength for the future.
Congress of Nationalities of Federal Iran
