PJAK
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The Partiya Jiyana Azad a Kurdistanê (Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, PEJAK or PJAK) is an Iranian Kurdish nationalist armed Maoist organisation based in northern Iraq[1] that is involved in armed opposition to the government of Iran. They are mainly involved in attacking the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and attempting to force the IRGC out of the Kurdistan Province of Iran and other Kurdish-inhabited areas.
Policies and structure
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| Government of Islamic Republic of Iran |
The present leader of the organisation is Haji Ahmadi. PEJAK strongly cooperates with the PKK and is accused of being the "Iran branch" of the PKK. According to the Washington Times, half the members of PEJAK are women, many of them still in their teens, and one of the members of the leadership council is Gulistan Dugan, a psychology graduate from the University of Tehran.[1]
This is due primarily to the fact that PEJAK is strongly supportive of women's rights. PEJAK believes that women must have a strong role in government and must be on a equal level with men in leadership positions. [1]]
Being a Maoist organisation, PEJAK is completely secular and irreligious.
Armed conflict and arrests
On April 3, 2006, the Washington Times claimed that during March 2006, PEJAK had killed 24 members of Iranian security forces in retaliation for the killing of 10 Kurds participating in a peaceful demonstration in Maku by Iranian security forces. [1]
On April 10, 2006, seven PEJAK members were arrested in Iran, on suspicion that they had killed three Iranian security force personnel. Cihan News Agency claims that over 120 members of Iranian security forces were killed by PEJAK during 2005. [2]
Relation to PKK
PEJAK is closely linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in the United States and as a terrorist organisation by the European Union.[3]
Relation to United States government and military structures
PEJAK is considered close to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK, a.k.a. KADEK, a.k.a. KONGRA/GEL), which is listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States State Department.
On April 18, 2006, US parliamentarian Dennis Kucinich sent a letter to US president George W. Bush in which he expressed his judgment that the US is likely to be supporting and coordinating PEJAK, since PEJAK is based in Iraqi territory, which is in practice under the control of US military forces.[4]
However, Mr. Kucinich has not offered evidence to support his opinions. There is currently no evidence to suggest that PEJAK has any relationship or contact with the United States, even though PEJAK is not opposed to such contact. [2]
References
- ^ a b c Tehran faces growing Kurdish opposition, James Brandon, The Washington Times, April 3, 2006
- ^ Iran Arrests 7 PKK Terrorists, April 10, 2006, Cihan News Agency/zaman.com
- ^ Council Common Position 2004/500/CESP of 17 May 2004, Council of the European Union, Official Journal of the European Union, May 17, 2004
- ^ Kucinich Questions The President On US Trained Insurgents In Iran: Sends Letter To President Bush, Dennis Kucinich, April 18, 2006
External links
- PJAK website (in Persian and Sorani)
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