Iranian Kurds Still Deprived of Basic Human Rights: Leader of Komala Party Discusses How Iranian Kurds Could Be Possible Gateway to Political and Democratic Change

THE HAGUE, Holland, Oct. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Iran's recent change in regime was presented as a great hope for minorities in Iran. Unfortunately, the regime has now proven to only be a friendlier face of the same brutal mentality, said Abdullah Mohtadi, Secretary of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.

"The international community should back Iranian Kurds in their fight for their legitimate rights," said Mr. Mohtadi. "Kurds and the Kurdish political parties constitute a key component of any democratic movement in Iran and are a vital element for progress in the future. Kurdistan can be the gateway to political and democratic change in Iran."

The remarks were made at a conference hosted by the Parliament in Holland. Jointly organized by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and the International Network of Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights (INIKHR), it focused on justice for Iran's Kurds.

International eyes are focused on Iran's nuclear program, but they should not neglect the discrimination and widespread violations of human rights, said Mr. Mohtadi. The leader stressed how even though the Kurdish issue has long been a major unresolved political question of the region, Iranian Kurds remain unrepresented people, and should be given a voice in congressional and parliamentary hearings.

"Iranian Kurdistan is often overlooked," said Mr. Mohtadi. "While Iran does not shy away from news headlines around the world, it is usually in regards to its nuclear programme and its hostility with the West. Seldom does its appalling human rights record make news, much less the specific persecution of its Kurdish minority."

The conference on Iran's Kurds brought together politicians, academic experts and civil society to discuss Iranian Kurdistan, and offer a Western and a Kurdish approach to the situation.

"Kurds can significantly contribute to a new democratic, multicultural, federal and secular Iran, which is the only way forward for an Iran that is at peace with its own people as well as the world," said Mr. Mohtadi.

About the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan: Komala is an Iranian-Kurdish political party that stands for a democratic, secular, pluralist Iran, where the rights of Iranians and Kurds are preserved and safeguarded.

SOURCE Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan