Dear compatriots and loyal individuals of Eastern Kurdistan,
On this day, we are pleased to announce the establishment of the Kurdistan Tribunal, which coincides with the 41st anniversary of the genocidal „Fatwa“ declared by Khomeini against the people of Eastern Kurdistan.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, since its establishment 41 years ago, as the Shiite Islamic Republic of “Velayat-e-Faqih”, also known as “guardianship of Islamic jurist“, has caused extensive misfortune to Iranian people by exporting and expanding the Islamic revolution. Not only did it conduct collective massacres, executions and terrorism, but also violated fundamental rights to freedom, and wasted the resources of the country abundantly
At the international level, the Islamic Republic has been following the policy of expanding and exporting the Islamic Revolution and has not ceased its interference in Islamic countries‘ affairs, especially countries in the Middle East, which has become a greater threat to peace and security in the world.
The regime pursues the project of “one language, one nation, and one flag“ in Eastern Kurdistan. Making the allegation of protecting the territorial integrity of the country, it systematically violates all the principles of human rights and legitimises itself to commit all kinds of crimes against Kurdish people in Eastern Kurdistan.
Immediately after the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Khomeini declared the fatwa of jihad against Kurdish people on August 18th, 1979. That fatwa has become a starting point for attacking the towns and villages of Eastern Kurdistan, which resulted in mass murder of villagers and executions and assassinations of many Kurds to the date.
As a result of these repressive policies, thousands of people have been killed by pro-regime agents and militaries. Only during the first three years of the regime in power in Iran, more than 313 villagers, the majority of whom were women, children, the elderly and defenceless civilian people, were mercilessly murdered and 38 villages were destroyed.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, since its establishment, has executed over 2504 young Kurds for claiming their Kurdish identity. Inside and outside Iran, more than 449 people have been assassinated, a considerable number of whom were under 18, at the time of the execution or assassination.
Despite the multidimensional repression in Kurdistan, economically, culturally and socially,it murders young civilian Kurdish men who are conducting the activities of „Kolbarî“ at the borders of Eastern Kurdistan on a daily basis. Only in 2019, more than 70 Kurdish kolbars, were directly shot to death by pro-regime soldiers.
Since its creation, the regime in Iran has been working systematically to assimilate the identity of the Kurdish people in Eastern Kurdistan. To legally fight these assimilative policies, we have found it historically legitimate to create a legal centre, the Kurdistan Tribunal.
The Kurdistan tribunal is a national tribunal, which is run with the collaboration of injured individuals and the families of the victims and by the support of a group of jurists, in concert with the participation of a considerable number of political and civil activists, both Kurdish and foreigners, to create a tribunal for the prosecution of the Islamic Republic for its crimes in Eastern Kurdistan. In this project, the Court of Kurdistan closely works with the organization of the “Kurdish diaspora”, which is active under the legal title of “World Kurdish Organization”.
This tribunal concentrates on the following three themes: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Kurdistan Tribunal is an independent Supreme People’s Court, which founds its legal activities in accordance with international law via the Commission of Inquiry and the jurists. The core purpose of establishing the Kurdistan Tribunal is to investigate the crimes of the Islamic Republic of Iran in a legal context. The verdicts will be communicated to the public opinion and pursued internationally
In order for the court to be able to assign its tasks in the best possible condition, in collecting and archiving of documents related to the crimes of the Islamic Republic in Kurdistan, we are counting on the collaboration of all Kurds, the families of the victims, as well as political and civil organizations. We ask the families of the injured and the families of the victims, to lodge their complaints, and to contact us through the email address on the website of the Kurdistan Tribunal.
The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to cover up its crimes in Eastern Kurdistan, thus your collaboration with the Kurdistan Tribunal, which works according to international laws, will disclose the crimes committed by this regime since its creation and makes it possible to be prosecuted.
Yours sincerely,
Management Committee of the Kurdistan Tribunal
Gelawêjî 1399 / July 2020
