Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran

Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan Hîzbî Dêmokiratî Kurdistanî Êran
Secretary-General	Mustafa Hijri
Founder	Qazi Muhammad
Founded	August 16, 1945; 71 years ago (1945-08-16)
Headquarters	Koy Sanjaq, Iraqi Kurdistan Mahabad, Iran (historic)
Membership  (2008)	1,200–1,800
Ideology	Kurdish nationalism Socialism Social democracy Progressivism Secularism Historic: Anti-imperialism Conservative traditionalism
Political position	Centre-left Left-wing (historic)
National affiliation	Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran (2005–present) National Council of Resistance of Iran (1981–1985) United Front of Progressive Parties (1946–1948)
International affiliation	Socialist International (Consultative member) Progressive Alliance Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Slogan	“Democracy for Iran, Autonomy for Kurdistan”
Party flag
Website
pdki.org
Politics of Iran Political parties Elections

Participant in Iran crisis of 1946, 1967 Kurdish revolt in Iran, 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran, Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution, Iran–Iraq War, KDPI insurgency (1989–96), 2016 West Iran clashes
Active	1945–1946 1966–1967 1977–1978 1979–1996 2016–present
Leaders	Mustafa Barzani (1940s)
Area of operations	Iraqi Kurdistan; Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan Provinces in Iran
Strength	12,750 infantry and cavalry (1946 estimate) 10,000 to 25,000 (1979–1983 estimate) 7,000 to 10,000 regulars plus 14,000 to 20,000 part-time guerillas (1980 estimate) 12,000 Peshmergas along with 60,000 armed peasants (1982 estimate) 1,500 (1996 estimate) 1,200 to 1,800 (2008 estimate)
Allies	Soviet Union (1945–1991) Iraq (1980–1988) Turkey (1993–1995) United States (2000s) Saudi Arabia (2010s) Non-state allies: Kurdistan Democratic Party Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Komala (1982−1984; since 2012) People's Mujahedin (1981–1985) Fedai Guerrillas (1979–1981) Tudeh Party (1940s–1950s)
Opponents	Imperial State of Iran (1945–1979) Islamic Republic of Iran (1979−present) Non-state opponents: Komala (1984−1991)

The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI; Kurdish: Hîzbî Dêmukratî Kurdistanî Êran‎, HDKA; Persian: حزب دموکرات کردستان ایران‎, translit. Ḥezb-e Demokrāt-e Kordestān-e Īrān‎), also known as the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), is a militant leftist ethnic party of Kurds in Iran, exiled in northern Iraq. It is banned in Iran and thus not able to operate openly.

It calls for self-determination of Kurdish people and has been described as seeking either separatism or autonomy within a federal system.

Since 1979, KDPI has waged a persistent yet thus far unsuccessful guerrilla war against the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran, during 1979–1983 Kurdish insurgency, its 1989–1996 insurgency and recent clashes in 2016. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials have called the party a terrorist organization.

Hyeran Jo of Texas A&M University classifies KDPI as "compliant rebels", i.e. rebels that kill fewer than 100 and refrain from killing for more than half of their operating years. In order to gain domestic and international legitimacy, the party has denounced use of violence against civilians, claimed commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Geneva Convention Article 3, and as of 2007 is one of the signatories to the Geneva Call's ban on anti-personnel mines.

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