Loghman H. Ahmedi

Military presence, Kurdish students and the rejected presidential candidate

April 30, 2009, 12:48 pm | Under Iran, Kurdistan

According to Kurdish media outlets the Iranian army have sent several thousand soldiers to the four Kurdish provinces to curb Kurdish dissent before the Iranian presidential elections this summer.The number of Iranian soldiers stationed in Iranian Kurdistan is believed to be around 125 000, adding revolutionary guard members, Basiji´s and members of the Intelligence service Ettela’at, it is believed that the number of armed personal from Iran’s different armed braches in Kurdistan is as high as 250 000.

Some point to the fact that the reason for such an high number of armed forces in Kurdistan is because of United States military presence in Iraq, but the reality is that Iran has always had a large number of armed forces in Kurdistan, even during the rule of the Shah. The main reason being control of Kurdish lands.

After the revolution in 1979, Kurdish Peshmerga forces controlled almost all of Kurdistan until the new regime built up its forces and Ayatollah Khomeini declared holy war on the Kurds. The Kurdish Peshmerga lost control of Kurdistan in the end of 1982 and beginning of 1983, but they managed to wage an effective guerrilla struggle until 1995-96.

Video of Khomeini talking about our party:

The reason for the current military build is to hinder Kurdish activists from organizing an effective boycott of the elections. During the last election Iran’s own official numbers show that the voter turnout in most of the Kurdish provinces was the lowest in all of Iran, being as low as 12-23%. Other sources claim that it was much lower than that.

In a related event Kurdish students in the University of Razi in Kirmanshar didn’t let the Iranian presidential candidate Mirhussein Mosawi to speak at the university. Mirhussein visited the university to campaign; when he began his speech a large number of students started shouting slogans like “If Kirkuk [the oil rich Kurdish city in Iraqi Kurdistan] is the heart of Kurdistan, Kirmanshar is the gateway of Kurdistan” and “Death to the dictator”. Mosawi was forced to end his speech and leave the university.

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Military presence, Kurdish students and the rejected presidential candidate

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