Kurdistan and The Kurds A Divided Homeland and a Nation without ...

contributed to the prolongation of the Kurdish revolution.
Soon the local forces were unable to resist the Iranian
army. As a result, the revolutionary forces retreated from
the Eastern regions of Kurdistan and left the political
boundaries of Iran. Some of them went to Iraq, others to
Turkey, and still others to Europe.
From the start, the Kurdish revolution had misjudged
its own forces and capacities and the loyalty of its
supporters. It was also mistaken in putting its trust in the
Iranian authorities. When Dr. Abdulrahman Qasimlo was
to meet with a group of Iranian Savak Officers in the
Austrian capital Vienna on 13/7/1989, he decided to go
without any personal protection. He was assassinated
during the meeting. His assassination put a damper on
the Revolution and slowed it down tremendously. The
assassination of Dr. Saiid Sharafkandi, successor to Dr.
Qasimlo as Secretary General to the Party, in Berlin in
1993 was another blow. May God bless their souls and
receive them in his vast paradise. The hope is that Mustafa
Hijri, the current Secretary General, will not commit the
same mistakes as his predecessors Dr. Qasimlo and Dr.
Sharafkandi that cost their lives and lead to breakdown
of the Kurdish revolution.
It is important to mention that the Kurds of Eastern
Kurdistan, and their compatriots in other parts of the
country, are like the fire under the rubble waiting for
another opportunity. When Mr. Abdallah Ocalan was
abducted in February 1999, the Iranian authorities allowed
the Kurdish people in Eastern Kurdistan to come out in
protest and ask for his liberation. The Kurds came out in
protest in the thousands, but very soon, the slogans in
favour for the liberation of Mr. Abdallah Ocalan turned
into slogans in favour of the liberation of Kurdistan. As
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