The recent announcement by the Turkish government that it is preparing a serious plan to address its Kurdish problem should also serve as a reminder to the Iranian government that it needs to address the Kurdish issue as well. Iran, which contains the second largest population of Kurds, has also treated its Kurdish population egregiously. A report published by the Human Rights Watch in January 2009 berated the Iranian government for routinely using security laws, press laws, and other legislation to arrest and prosecute Iranian Kurds solely for trying to exercise their right to freedom of expression and association. The Kurdish Human Rights Project makes similar accusation against the Iranian government, stating, “Discrimination against mainly Sunni Kurds in Shi’a Iran is occasionally more complex than elsewhere because of the added religious dimension, and the fact that Kurds have often been more actively involved in resistance against the regime than other groups. State motives for repression of Kurds are, therefore, often based on ‘security’ as much as other factors.”
The Kurdish issue is not something that the Iranian government can ignore for long. As the Minorities at Risk Project points out:
Kurds have most of the risk factors for rebellion, including: current rebellion; territorial concentration; high levels of group organization; government repression; and a history of lost autonomy. Although several Kurdish organizations have moved away from violence, low-level rebellion is likely to continue in the near future. With the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005 the situation of Kurdish Iranians went from bad to worse. After broken promises by Mohammad Khatami’s more moderate presidency from 1997 to 2005, the Kurdish situation, along with other ethnic minorities, has only worsened. The condition of Kurdish Iranians is more precarious than the Bakhtiari (because of their higher numbers and Sunni Muslim faith) or the Baluchis (because of their advocacy of autonomy and intellectual urban bases).
For more information on the treatment of Kurds in Iran:
Report by the Human Rights Watch
Report by the Kurdish Human Rights Project
Picture taken from the Kurdish Human Rights Project.