Siyamend Mouini, the co-chair of the northwest Iran (Rojhilat)-based Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), called for unity amongst Kurds of every region during an extraordinary evaluation of the protests in Iran that were sparked by the death of Jîna (Mahsa) Amini.
In what is thought to be the first such statement by a PJAK official since the anti-government protests began on 16 September, Mouni defined the uprising as a women-led revolution that has shaken the Islamic Republic to its core and will leave its mark on history.
The PJAK co-chair also sent a message of solidarity to the Baluchi people in Iran, saying that the Kurdish people and movement were with them until the end and that the Kurdish struggle would avenge the Baluchis who were killed during these protests.
Mouini stressed the need for change and called the protests a revolution that will open the door for change not only in Iran but also across the entire Middle East.
“Your protest is the beginning of a renaissance that will affect the entire region. Your slogan ‘Jin, Jîyan, Azadî’ (woman, life, freedom) has become the slogan of not only a feminist movement but also of a freedom movement,” said Mouini, addressing the women protesters, who have played a leading role in the uprising.
“Your movement will bring an end to colonialism, this dictatorship and their reactionary policies,” he said.
The PJAK co-chair called on Kurdish people across all regions of Kurdistan to work together and support the protests in order to replace the theocratic government with a democratic alternative.
“All Kurdish people must act together. The revolution led by the Kurdish people should bring the end of the nation-state in Iran and lead to the establishment of a democratic system both for the Kurds and other peoples,” he said.
And, he added that Iran’s ethnic minorities, including Azeris, Arabs and Baluchs, could also play a key role in overturning the current system and contribute to the PJAK’s political projects to democratise the country and bring self-government to Rojhilat.
“The Baluchi people have seen great pressure from this fascist regime,” Mouini said. “At present, they are being subjected to massacres. Let Baluchis and other peoples know that the Kurdish people and our movement will be with you until the end. Our struggle will also avenge the Baluchi who were killed during these protests.”
Last week, Amnesty International reported that Iranian security forces had killed at least 82 people while cracking down on the protests in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan provinces.
The PJAK co-chair added a call to the whole of society in Iran, including workers and labourers who have not yet participated in the protests, to also take part in the protests.