Open Letter from the PDKI Department of Foreign Relations to the Foreign Ministers of the European Union Member States

On behalf of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), we express our profound gratitude for the European Union’s recent decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. This courageous and long-overdue measure represents a decisive step in defence of human rights, democracy, and international security.

For nearly five decades, the Kurdish people in Iran have been among the primary victims of the IRGC’s systematic oppression. In Kurdistan Region, they have endured unrelenting military violence, arbitrary arrests, executions, political persecution, and the brutal suppression of legitimate cultural, political, and human rights demands – violations that continue to define daily life under the regime’s control. This repression extends far beyond Iran’s borders. The Iranian regime has repeatedly targeted Kurdish political activists through assassinations abroad. Of particular note are the political murders of two successive general secretaries of our party on European soil: Dr. A.R Ghassemlou in Vienna in 1989, and Dr. Sadegh Sharafkandi in Berlin in 1992. These heinous terror acts starkly illustrate the transnational threat posed by the regime and its direct assaults on European territory and democratic values.

The IRGC constitutes a grave danger not only to the peoples of Iran, but also to the regional stability and global security. For decades, it has acted as a central destabilising force, directly engaging in or supporting terrorist activities, attacks, violence, and armed operations worldwide.

Your decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation creates greater political and moral space for the peoples of Iran to resist repression and pursue their aspirations for freedom and democracy. It also conveys a powerful message of solidarity to the tens of thousands who have courageously taken to the streets in recent weeks and months, demanding freedom, democracy, and human dignity—only to face brutal violence, imprisonment, and death at the regime’s hands. By adopting this resolute position, the European Union affirms that democratic states will no longer tolerate systematic killings and state-sponsored terror.

This strong political support holds immense value for the peoples of Iran and the broader opposition movement. It strengthens all those who, often at tremendous personal risk, remain steadfast in their commitment to freedom, democracy, secularism, and the rule of law. The EU’s clear stance provides hope, courage, and vital international backing to the struggle of the peoples of Iran to end the oppressive rule of the mullahs and to build a democratic, free, and inclusive future for all. The PDKI stands ready to cooperate with the European Union and its member states in advancing these shared objectives.

Yours sincerely,
Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI)
Department of Foreign Relations
2026-02-02