The 36th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Abdulrahman Qasemlou

Yekiti Media

On 13 July 1989, Dr Abdulrahman Ghassemlou, the secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, was assassinated in Vienna by agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The assassination occurred during what were intended to be peace negotiations. Dr Ghassemlou was assassinated alongside Abdullah Qadri Azar, a member of the PDKI Central Committee, and Dr Fazil Rasul, a prominent Kurdish intellectual from Iraqi Kurdistan and a friend of the PDKI. They had come to seek a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question in Iran. Instead of dialogue, they were met with bullets.

The regime believed that it could silence the movement by killing Dr Ghassemlou . However, Dr Ghassemlou’s vision of peace, democracy, dignity, and national rights was too powerful to be destroyed by murder. His vision took root in the hearts of a nation and continues to guide the Kurdish struggle to this day.

Thirty-six years later, thousands still chant his name: ‘Ghassemlou, Ghassemlou, your path continues!’

Kurdistan is now more politically aware, more united and more determined than ever. The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, which he led, remains a symbol of resistance and national will. The regime that murdered him is more isolated than ever before; its brutality has been exposed and its collapse is now inevitable.

As Dr Ghassemlou once said:
‘The best reward for the martyrs is to continue their path.’

We remember him and his friends and recommit ourselves to the struggle for justice, freedom, and a future worthy of their sacrifice.

PDKI – X