Non-Violent Resistance in Iranian Kurdistan After 1979

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the significance of the 1979 Iranian Revolution for the Iranian Kurdish movement, arguing that the Revolution provided Iranian Kurds with multifaceted opportunities as well as challenges. In the ensuing years, the Kurdish movement entered into a new phase of its rise. With the emergence of numerous civil society organizations and political parties, the Kurdish movement experienced a hitherto unprecedented growth and diversification of actors and organisations. Kurdish civil society flourished drastically, and a significant part of the Kurdish movement’s challenge to the newly-established government in Tehran was channelled through collective non-violent resistance. The creation of city councils (şoray şar) across Kurdistan constituted the first important challenge to the authority of the Provisional Revolutionary Government, whilst the mobilisation of collective non-violent resistance introduced new forms of resistance to the post-Revolutionary authoritarian state’s policies in Kurdistan.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Intersectional Experiences of Iranian Feminists from Minoritized Ethno-National Backgrounds

“…The revolutionary era provided Iran's historically marginalized ethno-nationals with a brief opportunity to organize around their national identities and express their opposition to the monarchical regime's decades-old policies of socio-political exclusion and economic deprivation. However, their demands for socio-cultural and political autonomy quickly placed these communities in opposition to the newly established provisional government in the center (Hassaniyan 2019). Such tensions became apparent on 17 February 1979, a mere six days after the so-called Islamic Revolution's victory day, when the military garrison in the Kurdish city of Mahabad was compelled to surrender to the Kurdish authorities in the city.…”

تأثير القوى العالمية والإقليمية على القضية الكردية

“…After Muhammad Mossadeq became prime minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, the Kurds enjoyed a brief period of relative freedom and rights. (Hassaniyan, 2019).…”

Kurdish insurgency in Rojhelat: from Rasan to the Oslo negotiations

“…Throughout the years of the Kurdish movement's proactivity and strength, armed insurgency was the only instrument used with an intention of forcing the Iranian government to negotiate for a peaceful solution to Iran's Kurdish question. 50 However, during such negotiations on 13 July 1989 in Vienna Dr Ghassemlou was killed by assassins occupying the other side of the negotiation table. 51 Since then, Kurdish distrust of the government has meant there have been no serious talks between Kurdish parties and the regime.…”