Iranian Kurdish groups support nationwide economic protests
Shafaq News– Tehran
Senior Kurdish political parties in Iran’s Kurdistan (Rojhelat) backed the ongoing nationwide protests, calling for increased Kurdish political engagement and concrete measures to sustain the movement.
In a joint statement, the parties said the demonstrations reflected what they described as governance problems, pointing to corruption, administrative failures, and policies they argue have adversely affected Iran’s diverse communities.
The statement came after a meeting organized by the Center for Dialogue on Cooperation between Kurdistan Parties, which gathered representatives from several major Kurdish political groups, including the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, Komala (Iranian Communist Party), the Revolutionary Toilers Association, the Kurdistan Toilers Association, the Khabat Organization, the Kurdistan Freedom Party, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK).
The parties criticized the security response in Kermanshah, Ilam, Malekshahi, and Lorestan, condemning the use of force against demonstrators and rejecting “official claims portraying some protesters as rioters.”
The protests began on December 28 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar amid a sharp decline in the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions. Since then, demonstrations have spread to at least 222 locations across 78 cities in 26 provinces.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 36 people have been killed, 51 injured, and more than 2,000 detained since the demonstrations started.
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