Effective participation of minorities

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The aftermath of World War II (WWII) led to the brief establishment of a Republic of Kurdistan in Eastern Kurdistan within present-day Iran, terminated in 1946 when its leaders were executed by the Pahlavi royal regime in Iran. The act of executing Kurdish leaders mirrored a pattern observed in the Turkish state after the establishment of modern Turkey and its ensuing consequences. The assassination of Kurdish leaders continued as a serial crime committed by the Persian government under the Shah in Iran and, after 1979, by the ayatollahs striking in the heart of Europe.

The most fundamental right bestowed upon a people through the right of self-determination is the right to freely establish their political status. However, the territorially-emphasised concept of a people disregards the geopolitical realities of Kurdistan. That is, the doctrine and its evolution have infringed upon the intrinsic idea of a people. The post-WWII process of decolonisation compounded the problem. Whether by oversight or cynical design, the principle of self-determination as codified after the creation of the UN failed to address the specifics of the Kurds as a fragmented people. A remedy can be either internal self-determination within the existing states, or external via sovereign territorial independence through secession.

in public affairs phone number list of states is crucial for achieving internal self-determination. Recognising ethnic differences constitutes the initial step towards ensuring meaningful participation, as individual political rights alone are insufficient to ensure minorities an effective role in matters affecting them. With the tripartite Treaty of Angora concluded by Britain, Iraq, and Turkey in June 1926 to demarcate the boundary between Iraq and Turkey, the Kurds’ host states valorised the respective domination of their own Fars, Turk and Arab ethnicities, while denying recognition to Kurds within their boundaries. These systemic disadvantages remain within Iran, Syria and Turkey.

Iran, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey rejected the Kurds’ right to internal self-determination, fearing its potential to lead to secession. Under modern international law, the denial of internal self-determination implies the possibility of external self-determination, which includes the unilateral right to secede. Although the international community generally maintains an anti-secessionist stance, there is recognition of a conditional right to secession.