{"id":7313,"date":"2026-04-17T18:30:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/?p=7313"},"modified":"2026-04-17T18:30:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:30:54","slug":"pdki-leader-mustafa-hijri-speaks-at-progressive-alliance-gathering-in-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/pdki-leader-mustafa-hijri-speaks-at-progressive-alliance-gathering-in-barcelona\/","title":{"rendered":"PDKI Leader Mustafa Hijri Speaks at Progressive Alliance Gathering in Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"

PDKI leader Mustafa Hijri delivered a speech at the Global Progressive Mobilisation conference in Barcelona. At the event on 17\u201318 April, the Progressive Alliance brought together progressive leaders from across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, and beyond \u2014 in dialogue, in solidarity, and in common purpose.<\/p>\n

Hijri participated as one of the key speakers during the \u201cPA Global Connect\u201d session, representing the Iranian Kurdish opposition.<\/p>\n

The full speech<\/p>\n

Dear friends, dear comrades!<\/p>\n

Thank you for this opportunity. It is an honor to stand before a gathering of progressives who understand that the struggle for democracy in one country is the struggle for democracy
\neverywhere.<\/p>\n

I bring you greetings from the Kurds in Iran. A nation that has resisted dictatorship for nearly half a century, and who have been at the forefront of a struggle for democracy in
\nIran.<\/p>\n

Comrades,
\nThe world speaks of Iran in the language of nuclear files and oil prices. It rarely speaks of the Kurds, the Baluch, the Arabs of Ahwaz, the women in Evin prison, the workers whose strikes are crushed, the torture, the executions, or the mass slaughter of peaceful protesters.<\/p>\n

Iran is a torture prison for its citizens, and peace or stability for the region or the world is not possible without a democratic future. Recognizing this truth should be the priority of progressive forces all around the world.<\/p>\n

With the Iran\u2013US war reshaping the Middle East, the danger to our party and the Kurdish people has never been higher. We face threats not only from the regime in Iran, but also from its proxy groups in the region.
\nSince late February, Iran has attacked our party close to 100 times with ballistic missiles and drones. The attacks against camps run by our party have been indiscriminate, targeting hospitals, schools, civilian homes, and water and electricity supplies.<\/p>\n

In the middle of all this, our challenge is to place the future of all of Iran\u2019s different nations at the Centre of the international conversation, before others decide our fate without us.<\/p>\n

To do this, we must present an alternative to the regime. In February, together with other
\nKurdish political parties we founded the Alliance of Political Parties of Iranian Kurdistan. We are also engaging other political groups in the broader Iranian opposition.<\/p>\n

This is done with the hope of building a democratic alternative worthy of the sacrifices of all the people in Iran who have been killed, imprisoned and tortured by this regime. This is our most important task, and you can all play an important role in this process.<\/p>\n

We do not come asking for charity. We ask for solidarity, the kind that progressives once gave to the ANC in South Africa by doing these three things, concretely.<\/p>\n

First, political recognition. Raise our voice in your parliaments, in the European Parliament and at the United Nations. Ask what about the Kurds? What about political prisoners? What about the executions? Do not engage in silent diplomacy with this regime, it only plays in the hands of the regime by giving it legitimacy.<\/p>\n

Second\u060c demand accountability for the cross-border attacks on Kurdish political refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan. These are war crimes against people under international protection. Your parties can move resolutions. Your government can impose costs.<\/p>\n

Third, partnership. Invite us into your policy work on Iran, on the Middle East, on democratic transitions. Share expertise with our party and our younger members. Invite our experts on Iran related matters. Host our activists. Translate our voices. Treat the PDKI not as a distant cause, but as what we are, your sister party, a social-democratic party with a century-long tradition, fighting the same fight you are fighting, only on harder ground.<\/p>\n

The Islamic Republic will fall. The only question is when and what rises in its place. Help us ensure that what rises is democratic, federal, pluralist, and not just, for Kurds, for all Iranians, and for the region.<\/p>\n

Thank you!
\nJin, jyan, azadi<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PDKI leader Mustafa Hijri delivered a speech at the Global Progressive Mobilisation conference in Barcelona. At the event on 17\u201318 April, the Progressive Alliance brought together progressive leaders from across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, and beyond […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7315,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[45,52,54],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Image-15.jpg?fit=1600%2C900&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p12yuy-1TX","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7167,"url":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/pdki-leader-mustafa-hijri-stresses-the-significance-of-the-alliance-of-political-forces-of-iranian-kurdistan\/","url_meta":{"origin":7313,"position":0},"title":"PDKI Leader Mustafa Hijri Stresses the Significance of the Alliance of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan","author":"Ali","date":"March 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In a televised statement, PDKI leader Mustafa Hijri emphasized the importance of the Alliance of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, declaring that the Kurdish nation\u2019s long-held aspiration for political unity had at last been realized. Hijri underscored that the Alliance\u2019s formation comes at a decisive turning point in the region\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest2"","block_context":{"text":"Latest2","link":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/category\/latest2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Image-11-e1772485408521.jpg?fit=1179%2C518&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Image-11-e1772485408521.jpg?fit=1179%2C518&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Image-11-e1772485408521.jpg?fit=1179%2C518&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Image-11-e1772485408521.jpg?fit=1179%2C518&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Image-11-e1772485408521.jpg?fit=1179%2C518&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4986,"url":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/mustafa-hijri-our-struggle-requires-determination-and-patience\/","url_meta":{"origin":7313,"position":1},"title":"Mustafa Hijri: \u201cOur Struggle Requires Determination and Patience\u201d","author":"Admin English","date":"September 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Mustafa Hijri, the leader of PDKI, visited the PDK\u2019s Peshmerga Forces in the Zagros Mountains. 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Peshawa Qazi, the first leader of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/The-70th-Anniversary-of-the-Republic-of.jpg?fit=620%2C412&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/The-70th-Anniversary-of-the-Republic-of.jpg?fit=620%2C412&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/The-70th-Anniversary-of-the-Republic-of.jpg?fit=620%2C412&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5065,"url":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/mustafa-hijri-kurdish-independence-is-the-outcome-of-peshmergas-sacrifices\/","url_meta":{"origin":7313,"position":4},"title":"Mustafa Hijri: \u201cKurdish Independence is the Outcome of Peshmergas Sacrifices\u201d","author":"Ali","date":"September 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Mustafa Hijri, the leader of PDKI, delivered a speech at a rally on September 22 in support of southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan\u2019s independence referendum. 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