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60th anniversary of the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad 1946
By: Hiwa Nezhadian
2006-02-11
Ladies
and gentlemen, it’s not common to have a gathering like this one and
talk to the academia and American audience about the plight of the
Kurdish people, their history and how the ruling Middle Eastern
governments perceive them. I am glad I am here tonight on the 60th
anniversary of the Kurdish republic of 1946 and I hope to answer some
historical questions in your minds. So, I briefly talk about the
creation of the Republic, the political mood and the environment of
WWII in the northern part of Eastern Kurdistan, i.e. the part under the
Iran’s control.
The brutal suppression of Sheikh Mehmud’s
kingdom in South Kurdistan (today’s northern Iraq), a populace movement
in the early 1920, cheating the Kurds of northern Kurdistan (today’s
Turkey) by Kemal Ataturk in 1910’s, the promise of independence by the
allied powers in the Treaty of Sevres in the August of 1920 and the
subsequent Treaty of Lozanne by the League of Nations in 1923 which
undermined the Kurdish self-determination as it was promised in the
Treaty of Sevres, in support of a greater Turkey and therefore the
final division of Kurdish land between Iran, and the newly created
states of Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Constant harassment and bombardment
of Kurdish towns and villages by the British Royal Air force and
creating chaos and animosity among major Kurdish clans to discredit
Mahmud Barzanji in the region, undermining the will of the people by
the British in today’s northern part of Iraq, brutal suppression of
Eastern Kurdistan and the assassination of their leader Simko by Reza
Shah of Iran in 1930, Kurdish genocide by the new state of Turkey
between 1925 and 1933, left a bitter and unforgettable memories in the
minds of the Kurds all over the Middle East.
As Iran was
occupied in September 1941 by the armies of the US, UK and the Soviets
and Reza Shah was deported by the allied powers to South Africa, the
country was left with a weak government with little control over areas
outside of the central province of Tehran. An atmosphere of freedom and
joy spread all over the country. The situation was perfect for the
Kurds to cease the moment and set up a political organization different
from prior organizations that were mostly clan dominated, feudal
infiltrated and religious organized groups.
They set up a
party with a political agenda and platform mostly by middle class
educated urban nationalists in August 1941 in Mahabad, called Kurdish
Resurrection Society or KJK. By some accounts this organization was
originally established in July of 1938 under the name of Kurdish
Freedom Party.
KJK was a secret society with members sworn in
to the flag of Kurdistan and the holy book in front of three witnesses.
Members had to promise not to betray other members and not to commit
acts of treason against the Kurdish people and their political,
economic and cultural interests. KJK membership was solely based on
friends and confidants introducing each other to the membership
committee therefore very soon it became a very strongly bonded
organization.
By 1942 when Iran and central government was at
its weakest point, the country was divided in three zones; Southern
part was under the influence and armies of the United Kingdom and the
USA. Central zone was neutral and northern part was under the Soviet
occupation.
Kurdistan of Iran on the other hand was under the
UK and Soviet influence. From its southern areas, i.e. the provinces of
Lorestan, Ilam and Kirmashan and parts of Kurdistan province up to the
city of Saqez were under the British influence and from Saqez to the
Russian border in the north, under the influence of the Soviets,
however Soviet army were not present in many parts of their sphere of
influence in Kurdistan, especially in Mehabad.
Qazi Mohamed
was the judge of the city of Mehabad and surrounding areas, a very
influential and respected man among the people, a visionary man with
love for the people and the country. He was a strong advocate of
education, well being of the people and Kurdish culture and heritage.
Qazi was asked by some members of KJK in secret, in Oct of 1944 to see
if he is interested in joining the group, and he accepted.
As
Qazi Mohemed became a member he soon became the icon and spokesperson
for KJK and as he was becoming more involved in the KJK or komeleh, the
organization was coming out to the surface. In November of 1945 in an
assembly of sixty tribal and local leaders gathered on an invitation
from Qazi to listen to a speech that necessitated the forming of a
party that is open and come out of secrecy. Then KJK changed name under
the advice of Mr. Qazi and the Soviets to the Kurdish Democratic Party
(KDP). KDP established a very basic and simple agenda as the basis of
the party platform, which was formulated in the following eight
articles:
1. The Kurdish people of Iran shall have self-government in the administration of their local affairs.
2. The Kurdish language shall be the official language and shall be used in education.
3.
A Provincial Council in Kurdistan shall be elected immediately
according to Iranian constitutional law and shall exercise it’s right
of controlling and overseeing all public meetings.
4. All government officials shall be Kurds.
5. Revenue collected in Kurdistan shall be spent in Kurdistan.
6.
The Democratic Party of Kurdistan shall make efforts to establish
complete fraternity with the people of Azerbaijan and minority elements
living there.
7. The Party shall work for the improvement of
the moral standards, the health, and the economic conditions of the
Kurdish people by the development of education, public health, commerce
and agriculture.
8. The KDP demands freedom of political action for all the people of Iran so that the whole country may rejoice in progress.
As
the above articles of freedom were the aspiration of the people of
Kurdistan, the Party soon gained tens of thousands of members all
across Kurdistan but its activities were limited to the northern cities
and villages.
At a town meeting in January 22nd of 1946 in the
main square of Mahabad, delegates from all across Kurdistan, from the
Russian border to the central part of Iranian Kurdistan, with
representatives from the southern provinces of Sanandaj, Kirmashan, and
surroundings, as well as from Kurdistan of Syria, Turkey and Iraq’s
participation, KDP announced the Republic of Kurdistan. The Kurds of
Iraq offered their best fighting men, about 1200 strong under the
leadership of the legendary Mustafa Barzani that helped establish the
republic’s army of 12,750.
At it’s first public meeting the
leadership announced a cabinet meeting and started the affairs of
Kurdistan as it was announced in the KDP’s platform, which endowed with
a remarkable dynamism and achieved several of the party’s agenda among
them;
a) Kurdish became the official language of administration and education in schools.
b)
Several Kurdish periodicals appeared regularly among them, Kurdistan,
the daily newspaper and the party’s official organ, Helaleh magazine
for women and Grugali Mindalan for the children and a number of other
periodicals.
c) Kurdish women began to play an active role in the political and social life for the first time.
d) Trade with the USSR expanded and the economy began to improve.
e) Schools for the minority Jews, Azaries and Armenians opened and encouraged in their native languages.
f)
The top jobs in the administration, which had until then been held by
non-local Persians and Azerbaijanis were given to the Kurds
g) The Imperial Army and Police were dissolved and replaced with National Army and Peshmergeh forces.
The
cabinet was composed of thirteen ministers, including War minister and
Foreign Secretary. As no parliament has been elected yet, there was no
legislative assembly, so laws were issued by presidential decree, but
the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice assumed all judicial
tasks.
The precise status of the new government was still
indeterminate to whether it was an autonomous regional government or a
fully independent state. On one side there were active participation of
Kurds from outside of Iran and ambition for a greater Kurdistan, on the
other side according to article 3 of the party agenda, …”a Provincial
Council in Kurdistan shall be elected according to Iranian
constitutional law…”
While there was a Kurdish government in
northwest of Iran, east of Kurdistan there was another local government
established in Azerbaijan. On 23rd April 1946, the governments of
Kurdistan and Azerbaijan signed a treaty of friendship with the
following seven articles:
1) The representatives of the two governments will be accredited in each other’s territory whenever they consider it necessary.
2) In Azerbaijan territory with majority Kurdish population, Kurdish administration will be appointed and vice versa.
3)
The two governments will set up a commission to deal with economic
questions and this commission shall be responsible to the leaders of
the two governments.
4) Whenever necessary, Azarbaijan and Kurdistan will form a military alliance providing for mutual support.
5) Any negotiations with the Tehran Government must have the approval of the two governments.
6)
The Government of Azarbaijan will take measures to contribute to the
development of the Kurdish language and culture among the Kurds living
in Azarbaijan territory and vice versa.
7) The two governments
shall punish whoever tries to undermine the historic friendship, the
democratic unity or the alliance between the two peoples, conjointly.
In
spite of these agreements and understanding, the fact remained that
there were major differences in approaching the internal affairs of the
two states. In Kurdistan the land reform and workers demand were not
taken so much into consideration as in their neighboring Azerbaijan,
national unity was more on the agenda. For one Kurdish society was much
more backward than the Azarbaijan’s and there were no sign of
industrial complex in Kurdish territory, and second, many Kurdish
landowners were strong supporters of creation of the nation state and
Kurdish national aspirations.
The frontiers between the two
states were still undetermined. The status of the western cities of
Khoy, Shahpour, Urmieh and Miandoab, the three islands in Lake Urmieh
among the points of dispute. But in the spring of 1946 these
differences were secondary. Main priority was the defense of the tow
states very existence from the aggressive policies of the Tehran regime
strongly supported by the Americans and the British.
Iran
after WWII was seen by the Americans and British as an oil gate from
the Middle East to turn on the industrial complex of the West.
Therefore they saw it in their best interest to leave Iran intact and
subvert any divisions politically and geographically. With the help of
the Americans, Iranian Army entered the city of Tabriz in 13 December
of 1946, the Azarbaijan republic collapsed.
The sudden
collapse of Azarbaijan stunned the people of Kurdistan. They were
caught by surprise and mostly they didn’t expect the Russian betrayal
of their Azerbaijani brothers.
In Mehabad Qazi and his
colleagues never seriously contemplated resistance after it became
clear that the Soviet Union had allowed their Azerbaijani creation to
collapse. Of the party officials a group of militants began to discuss
flight and asylum in Iraq or the USSR. They made their preparations and
on the evening of Dec. 14 went to Qazi’s house to ask him to join them
Qazi approved the project and told them to take away any provisions
they required; but he would stay with the people of Mehabad whom he had
sworn to protect.
In Dec. 15 the Soviet Commercial
representative in Mehabad, Asadov, left for the Soviet Consulate in
Urmieh. Taxed with a Kurdish official for having betrayed his friends,
Asadov lamely replied that the status of the republic had become an
international issue, but that if the name of the party had changed back
to Komeleh, (KJK), perhaps the Russians would help. After some
negotiations with the Kurdish leaders, the Iranian Army entered the
city of Mehabad the Kurdish capitol without resistance, and surrendered
on Dec. 17, 1946.
In late March 1947 president Qazi and a
number of cabinet members and high ranking officers, in spite of
promise of clemency and negotiations, were hanged in Mehabad, Bukan,
Saqqez and hundreds were sentenced with long term imprisonments
The
Republic of Kurdistan lasted no more than eleven months but it left a
legacy in the history of the Kurdish struggles. It was a symbol of
freedom for the Kurds all over the five countries spread around in the
Middle East and it showed the world that Kurds can stand on their feet
and establish a nation state if the opportunity is offered to them,
that is if they are recognized by the international community.
In spite of the successes and moments of joy and progress, the Kurdish Republic had some shortcomings. Among them:
i.
The urban nationalists and educated sector that led the party for the
most part were among the citizens of northern Kurdistan and mainly from
Mehabad.
ii. The Kurdish society was inexperienced in politics and especially they were not aware of the international politics.
iii. The leadership put too much weight on the Russian support.
iv.
The republic’s army did not penetrate beyond central Kurdistan. They
could have easily captured Sanandaj and Kirmashan, much larger and more
populated than Mehabad but on the advice of the Soviets, they did not
penetrate the south.
v. The leadership did not take effective
advantage of the enormous military experience and power of General
Barzani and his army with him. In a number of occasions Barzani offered
to open a southern front but the president rejected it.
vi.
Southern part of Iranian Kurdistan was under the British influence and
by no means they would encourage Kurdish nationalism and
self-determination, therefore the KDP had little influence and by the
same token, modern Kurdish nationalism in the south did not grow as
strong as in the north.
There were also strong points:
vii. The Republic created an atmosphere of peace, trust among the people, and boosted moral and self-confidence.
viii. The republic brought the dream of millions of Kurds to reality.
ix.
The republic made Kurdish language official and in the short period
that it was in power, many magazines and periodicals came to existence,
which until then it was impossible under the Shah’s regime.
x.
The KDP sent a number of young students to the Soviet Union to gain
higher education in order to bring them back and help the people. After
the fall of the Republic mostly became highly educated, but almost all
stayed behind.
Lessons learned from the republic’s experience:
xi.
A political system can survive only if it is conducted democratically.
President Qazi and his cabinet were democratically elected and he was
highly successful and popular for the short period they were in power.
xii.
Kurdish question, although it seems an internal affair in any one of
the countries Kurds live in, it always is an international issue.
Kurdish politicians should consider that very seriously.
xiii.
The Kurds should know by now that any alliance with an outside force is
strategic and temporary; the ultimate reliance should be upon them.
xiv.
When it comes to the future of the Kurdish people, the political
boundaries among the four countries separating Kurdish nation can be
easily broken and to the Kurds, they are one nation and inseparable. As
we witnessed the Kurdish Republic of 1946, in a small part of Kurdish
land, that was no more than 1/10th of the total areas of Kurdistan,
representative from all over Kurdistan came to witness the success and
some actively participated.
xv. No matter how much there are
tensions and differences between the states ruling Kurdistan, they are
always united against the Kurds. Therefore there is only one
alternative for the Kurds to get to freedom and that is to get united.
With these thoughts I leave you and maybe we get a chance for questions and answers at the end of the program.
This paper was presented in UCLA (University of California-Los Angeles) , School of Public Policy on Feb 6th, 2006
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