Political and Civil Assassinations of Kurdish Leaders in Iran
The history of the Kurdish movement in Iran constitutes a long record of struggle between the aspirations of a people seeking recognition of their national and political rights and successive regimes that have relied on repression as a means of managing this issue. The policy of liquidation was not merely a series of circumstantial reactions; rather, it assumed a systematic character targeting political leaders, intellectuals, and figures of civil society—from the founders of political entities to human rights activists.
The Crushing of the Foundational Dream: The Republic of Kurdistan
The execution of Qazi Muhammad, founder and president of the Republic of Kurdistan in Mahabad, remains one of the most painful episodes in Kurdish collective memory. After the withdrawal of Soviet forces and the fall of the republic, Iranian forces entered the city of Mahabad in December 1946. On March 31, 1947, Qazi Muhammad was executed by hanging in Chwar Chra Square (“the Four Torches”)—the very square where the republic had been proclaimed—alongside his brother Sadr Qazi and his cousin Saif Qazi, the Minister of Defense. That event marked the end of the first modern Kurdish governing experience in Iran and the beginning of a new phase of hardline policies toward the Kurdish movement.
The Assassination of the “Diplomatic Mind”: The 1980s and 1990s
As part of the Kurdish political activity shifted abroad, assassinations extended to leaders who sought to internationalize the Kurdish cause.
In 1989, Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou, Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, was assassinated in Vienna during a negotiation session with an Iranian delegation—an incident described as an assassination “at the negotiating table.”
In 1992, Sadegh Sharafkandi was assassinated at the Mykonos restaurant in Berlin, along with three of his companions, while attending a political event. The incident became a pivotal moment in European–Iranian relations at the time and sparked broad debate over cross-border assassinations.
The Assassination of the “Civil Voice”: Activists and Human Rights Defenders
Over the past two decades, the scope of targeting has expanded to include civil and human rights activists.
Teacher and civil activist Farzad Kamangar was executed in 2010 following a trial that drew human rights criticism; his name subsequently became a cultural symbol within Kurdish circles.
In 2018, human rights activist Iqbal Moradi was assassinated in Sulaymaniyah. He was known for his defense of political prisoners.
The death of Mahsa Amini (Jina Amini) in 2022, following her detention by the morality police, ignited widespread protests under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom,” transforming her into a symbol of a civil movement that transcended regions and ethnicities.
Targeting Field Cadres
The targeting was not limited to political and civil leaders; it also extended to field cadres in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In 2021, the body of Musa Babakhani, a member of the Central Committee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, was found in Erbil after his disappearance, amid mutual accusations regarding responsibility. In 2018, other assassination incidents targeted cadres in the areas of Sulaymaniyah and Soran.
Likewise, the headquarters of Kurdish parties in the town of Koya and the outskirts of Sulaymaniyah were subjected to missile attacks in 2018 and 2022, resulting in deaths and injuries, including civilians in nearby camps.
From Gallows to Silent Assassinations
Methods of repression have varied between public executions in earlier periods and covert assassinations inside and outside the country, in addition to deaths under torture or during detention.
Iran has also used excessive force against Kurdish cross-border porters, known as “kolbars,” many of whom are killed or injured each year in the rugged border areas.
These events reflect a complex trajectory characterized by excessive violence and the rejection of dialogue and negotiations between the Iranian state and the Kurdish movement in its various currents—alongside a long Kurdish struggle for recognition, rights, and political participation.