XXI UNPO General Assembly Held in The Hague with Participation of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan

On Saturday, 29 August 2026, the first day of the 21st General Assembly of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) took place in The Hague, the Netherlands, with the participation of a delegation from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI). Sofia Amini, the PDKI and Iranian Kurdistan representative to UNPO, and Kani Jihangery, the party’s representative to France, took part in the General Assembly.

On the first day of the General Assembly, following the presentation of the Presidency’s report and the Secretary-General’s report, a number of issues were discussed. Representatives of UNPO member nations and peoples were also given an opportunity to speak about the challenges, injustices, and oppression facing their peoples and communities.

During the General Assembly, Sofia Amini, the Iranian Kurdistan representative to the UNPO, delivered a speech on behalf of the PDKI addressing the human rights situation in Iranian Kurdistan and the systematic discrimination and repression faced by the Kurdish people under the Iranian regime.

PDKI representative began by recalling the killing of Jina Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from the city of Saqqez, by Iran’s so-called “morality” police in 2022. She noted that Jina’s death sparked the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (  Woman, Life, Freedom –  movement), but emphasised that the systematic discrimination and repression of Kurds, Balochs, Ahwazi Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks, and Turkmen in Iran long predated Jina’s death. She argued that this repression is deeply rooted in a “one nation, one identity, one state” policy based on Persian nationalism –  an ideology that seeks to marginalise and erase the diverse identities of Iran’s multiethnic population.

Turning to the situation in 2026, Amini said that the year began with a new wave of countrywide protests across Iran, including in Iranian Kurdistan, driven by economic grievances, political exclusion, and oppression. She described the subsequent digital blackout, which lasted for nearly three months, as a period during which thousands of peaceful protesters were killed, marking one of the deadliest periods of repression by the Iranian authorities in decades.

Amini highlighted the role of civilians and human rights organisations in documenting the violence, saying that their efforts had made it possible to bear witness to some of the most devastating events unfolding in cities such as Ilam and Kermanshah.

She also pointed to the heavy militarisation of Iranian Kurdistan, noting the establishment of checkpoints, curfews, surveillance measures, and the deployment of armed forces. She further stated that schools, hospitals, and mosques had reportedly been used to deploy military equipment, placing civilians at grave risk.

Amini stressed that the Iranian regime’s repression of the Kurdish people extends beyond Iran’s borders. Between 28 February and 1 August 2026, Iranian Kurdish political parties based in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq reported 423 cross-border attacks carried out by the Iranian regime, involving missiles, drones, and artillery. According to Amini, these attacks resulted in at least 20 deaths and more than 75 injuries.

“The situation in Iranian Kurdistan is critical,” Amini said, pointing to the continued arrest, imprisonment, and execution of peaceful protesters, political prisoners, human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and civil society activists.

“Their crime? Speaking out. Demanding justice. Demanding freedom. Demanding the fundamental rights that every human being deserves,” she said.

Concluding her speech, Amini emphasised that the Kurdish people have throughout history been denied their fundamental national rights, while continuing to hold on to hope for the future.

“We keep fighting for our rights so that the next generation can live in peace and freedom, with dignity and hope,” she said.

Amini stressed that the Kurdish struggle, like those of other unrepresented nations and peoples, has a greater chance of succeeding when communities learn from one another, share their experiences, and stand united.

“Therefore, today, I simply ask that you stand in solidarity with the Kurdish people in our pursuit of freedom, democracy, and self-determination – just as we stand with you in your struggle,” Amini concluded.

The first day of the UNPO General Assembly concluded with closing remarks from the UNPO Secretary-General.